An Effective Treatment for Neck Pain and Spasms?

Do you suffer from chronic neck pain? This problem is increasing in frequency as more people spend long hours hunched over a computer screen. Sitting in one position for prolonged periods of time causes muscles to tighten – resulting in a painful neck and shoulders. In some people, neck pain and spasms can become chronic making it difficult to carry out day to day activities without significant pain. Fortunately, there may be something you can do to relieve neck pain and spasms without using medications. A study published in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism showed that neck strengthening exercises can significantly reduce neck pain and spasms.

In this study, a group of forty-eight women were instructed to perform one of two types of exercise for neck pain and spasms – either strength training or aerobic exercise. The strength training group was instructed to do exercises to strengthen the neck and shoulder muscles using hand weights for twenty minutes three times per week, while the women in the aerobic exercise group exercised on a stationary exercise bike. At the end of the ten week study, women in the strength training group reported a seventy to eighty percent reduction in neck pain and spasms when compared to the women in the aerobic exercise group.

The good news is chronic neck pain responds to simple strength training exercises that most people can do at home using hand weights. Any exercise that strengthens the trapezius muscle, the muscle that extends from the upper back into the neck, appears to be beneficial for a painful neck. Although you can find neck strengthening exercises on the internet, it’s best to check with your doctor first to make sure you don’t have a more serious neck condition especially if you have numbness, weakness, or tingling in the arms or hands. Once more serious causes of neck pain have been ruled out; neck strengthening exercises can be carried out several times a week using hand weights for resistance. Simple exercises such as shoulder shrugs using hand weights can be quite effective at strengthening the trapezius muscles over time.

It also can be helpful to do gentle range of motion exercises while sitting at your desk during the day. This can be done by gently moving the chin to the chest and holding it a few seconds and then extending it up to look at the ceiling and then gently moving each ear towards each shoulder. Doing these exercises several times a way will keep muscles from becoming stiff when you’re confined to your desk for long periods of time. As always, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program to treat a painful neck.