How can I quickly heal a sprained neck

The symptoms of a sprained neck are usually called stiff neck or "lost neck", which is a common disease that is more common in winter and spring. A common occurrence of stiff neck is that there are no symptoms before falling asleep, but after waking up in the morning, you feel obvious pain in the neck and back and limited mobility. This shows that the pain starts after sleep and is closely related to the pillow and sleeping posture. Here are some methods to treat and prevent stiff neck.

Methods/Steps

Folding exercise therapy

Sit on a chair with your head down and chest straightened. First lower your head until your jaw touches your chest, then tilt your head up and look toward the sky. Pause for 3 seconds and then lower your head, and repeat this 20 times.

Sit on a chair and shake your head left and right, with your arms hanging naturally. Shake your head first to the left and then to the right. Repeat this 20 times.

Swing your jaw: Sit on a chair, let your arms hang naturally, straighten your chest, and swing your jaw left and right with force, 20 times in a row.

Stretch your neck: Sit on a chair with your chest up. First, stretch your neck upwards as far as possible, then contract your neck downwards as far as possible, and repeat this 20 times.

Rotate the neck. Sit on a chair, keep your body still, first rotate your neck 90 degrees to the left, then rotate your neck 90 degrees to the right, and do this 20 times in a row.

Massage the occipital area with both palms until the area becomes warm.

prevention

1. Maintenance

(1) Use a proper pillow. One third of our life is spent in bed. The height, softness and hardness of the pillow have a direct impact on the cervical spine. The best pillow should be one that can support the physiological curve of the cervical spine and keep the cervical spine straight. The pillow should be elastic and stable, and the pillow core should be made of heat-compressed sponge. For those who like to sleep on their backs, the height of the pillow should be about 8 cm; for those who like to sleep on their sides, the height should be about 10 cm. When lying on your back, the lower edge of the pillow should be placed on the upper edge of the shoulder blade to prevent the neck from being dislodged. In fact, the real name of the pillow should be "neck pillow". An inappropriate pillow often causes stiff neck. Repeated stiff neck is often a precursor to cervical spondylosis and must be diagnosed and treated promptly. Another thing to pay attention to is the pillow mat. Straw mats are best. Bamboo mats are too cold and too hard, so it is best not to use them.

(2) Keep your neck warm. Cold stimulation of the neck can cause muscle and blood vessel spasms, aggravating stiffness and pain in the neck. In autumn and winter, it is best to wear high-necked clothes; when the weather is slightly hot, you should be careful to prevent your neck and shoulders from getting cold when sleeping at night; in hot seasons, the air conditioning temperature should not be too low.

(3) Correct posture: The main cause of cervical spondylosis is incorrect posture during work or study. Good posture can reduce fatigue and avoid injury. Lowering your head for too long will cause muscle fatigue, aging of the cervical discs, and chronic strain, which will lead to a series of secondary symptoms. The best posture for working at a desk is to keep the neck straight and slightly leaning forward, without twisting or tilting; if the working time exceeds 1 hour, you should rest for a few minutes and do some neck exercises or massage; it is not advisable to rest your head on the head of the bed or sofa armrest to read or watch TV.

(4) Avoid injury to the neck. Injury to the neck can also induce this disease. In addition to paying attention to posture, when riding in a fast-moving vehicle and encountering a sudden brake, the head will rush forward and "whiplash-like" injury will occur. Therefore, you must pay attention to protect yourself and do not doze off in the car. When sitting in a seat, you can twist your body appropriately and lean sideways. You must avoid cervical spine injuries during sports competitions. When cervical spondylosis has an acute attack, the cervical spine should be less active, especially avoiding rapid head turning. Use a neck brace for protection when necessary.

2. Neck function exercise

Exercises for the cervical spine should be performed with caution, and aimless rapid rotation or swinging should be avoided, especially in the acute stage of cervical spondylosis, vertebral artery cervical spondylosis, or spinal cord cervical spondylosis. The method we recommend is simple and easy to implement, but to achieve the goal of disease prevention and treatment, you must persevere.

(1) With the head in neutral position, flex forward to the limit and return to the neutral position; extend backward to the limit and return to the neutral position; rotate left to the limit and return to the neutral position; rotate right to the limit and return to the neutral position; flex the left side to the limit and return to the neutral position; flex the right side to the limit and return to the neutral position. The movements should be slow and with slight force. During exercise, some patients may feel a popping sound in their neck. If it is accompanied by pain, they should reduce the number of exercises or stop exercising. If there is no pain, they can continue exercising.

(2) With your head in a neutral position, place your hands behind your neck with your fingers interlaced, and slowly flex and extend your head. At the same time, use your hands to resist the movement of your head to strengthen the muscles on the back of your cervical spine.