Arthritis in Neck
Neck Arthritis, is also known as cervical arthritis or Cervical Spondylosis (the proper medical term.) It is a is a degenerative joint disease that affects the neck and top of the cervical spinal column. It is the form of joint arthritis caused by degeneration of the neck bones and discs in the neck area.
It is a condition that used to typically affect people during their midlife years and beyond (40+). More men are affected in general than women and were developing it at an earlier age than women. With the use of electronic devices for long periods of time, now younger women and men are experiencing neck pain and symptoms of neck arthritis.
Neck arthritis is called cervical spondylosis as it is the cervical part of the spine that is the neck area. Poor posture is causing pain and arthritis in the neck and cervical areas of the spine. This causes narrowing of the spinal canals and thickening in the ligaments and bony structures of the neck.
This leads to nerve compression due to inflammation and breakdown of the structure, and can lead to severe pain, swelling and even numbness in the area. The faster you start treating your cervical arthritis degeneration, inflammation and disc pressure, the better your chances of healing from this condition.
Neck Arthritis Symptoms
What are the most common neck arthritis symptoms? Since the neck and shoulder are connected they are sometimes tied together in a neck ache. Here are the most common symptoms of Neck Arthritis:
- Headache or Fever
- Dizziness or Nausea
- Numbness or Burning Pain in Neck (sometimes shoulder area too)
- Night Sweats
- Blurry Vision
- Facial Pain
- Feeling Tired or Lethargic
If you are experiencing any of the above cervical arthritis symptoms along with neck pain, then you will want to treat it immediately by using exercises for neck pain, neck arthritis remedies and a natural neck arthritis treatment which are all shown below.
Neck Arthritis Pain
You will feel neck arthritis pain as a burning type of pain that frequently radiates into your facial area as well as your shoulder area. It can be aggravated by a neck injury or strain that will cause swelling and sometimes you will hear a popping sound when you move your head. This is your tendons and ligaments moving tightly over your cervical spine because of the pressure that swelling is causing in that area. Here are a few things that can worsen your neck arthritis pain:
- Sports activity where weight is carried on top of the head, like a basket, or sporting equipment
- Professional sports like football, gymnastics and even break dancing
- Injuries that cause neck compression, like an automobile accident or a fall where you land on your head
- There may even be some genetic predisposition to this condition as well
Although you may feel severely debilitated there are a lot of natural arthritis remedies that can really help you recover quickly and fully.
Remedies for Neck Pain
Here are some great natural remedies for neck pain that are very helpful for sprain, strain or to alleviate neck arthritis pain:
- Use a Stretching Neck Brace to stretch your cervical spine and take pressure off your nerves (pinched nerves) and discs.
- Get a Far Infrared Heating Pad, and drape it over your neck. This allows your muscles and connective tissues to relax and reduces inflammation and pain.
- Follow an arthritis diet, and cut back on the items that cause inflammation and pain
- Include Omega 3 Supplements (preferably from northern cold water fish)
- Add warming spices (anti-inflammatories) to your meals if you enjoy them (curry, turmeric, ginger, garlic, cayenne)
- Drink plenty of fluids, particularly Alkaline Water (removing acidity from the joints is extremely important and hydrating the joint keeps it operating smoothly and fluidly)
- Try topical Rub-On Relief for temporary relief (provides temporary acute pain relief while recovering)
- Take arthritis remedies
Neck Pain Exercises
Here are the best neck pain exercises that can help strengthen the muscles around your neck and cervical spine and take pressure off your discs:
- Water exercise or aerobics (swimming or walking in a pool with lukewarm water)
- Get Inverted Use an Inversion Table and use it to relieve the pressure off your neck and spinal column
- Use trigger point therapy to relieve the pressure on the nerves that are causing the pain
- Resistance Training – Perform joint friendly non-impact arthritis exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding the joints , taking pressure off of them and begin true healing.
- Posture Training – The Alexander Technique is really great for this. Proper Posture is very important in getting arthritis pain relief and this is also taught in the Feldenkrais (highly recommended) methods which are similar and can help you never experience a back ache or joint ache again!
- Ergonomics – Proper Ergonomic Posture reduces stress on your back and joints.
- Muscle Balance Therapy This provides you a way to remove the cause of your neck pain. Highly recommended!
Neck Pain Treatment
There is a specific neck pain treatment that will help you relieve your neck pain quickly and safely. Neck pain is a tricky thing that usually takes a few weeks to feel completely better. Using the recommended treatment for neck pain can get you feeling better in a fraction of the time it usually takes to be neck pain free.
Learn to Stretch you neck when you get a flare and stop the pain in its tracks. When you strengthen and balance the muscles in your neck you will take a lot of pressure off of your spinal column and allow your neck to sit in it’s properly balanced location. Use the Neck Pain Relief exercises along with proper hydration (ionic water) and nutritional support (Marquee Mobility).
Start where you are at, there is no race. Sometimes the slower the better, because you will not be in a stressful state, adding more pressure to do things quickly. Go at your own body’s pace and you will be helping others, because they will be asking what it is that you did to recover. Be sure to check out the Healthy Back and Neck Institute’s tips for eliminating neck pain at home quickly and easily by visiting Lose the Neck Pain.