By According to the National Institutes of Health, over 25 million of the people they surveyed had
pain every day for three months, which is considered chronic pain (1). One of the most
common types of chronic pain that people complain about is neck pain. While it can be the
result of many possibilities, including injury, muscle strain and tension, it can also lead to more
pain and discomfort, including leading to headaches, tingling, and numbness. However,
researchers are finding ways to help relieve the chronic neck pain that so many people
experience.
In the August 2016 issue of The Journal of Rheumatology, researchers shared the findings of
a study they conducted to see how effective both postural exercises and neck pillows would be
on helping patients who suffer from chronic neck pain. What they found should bring some
hope to those who have the condition, as it may provide them with a low impact and simple
way to help reduce the pain they are experiencing (2).
Researchers conducted a pain questionnaire before and after the periods where the treatment
was used, so they could score how much neck pain people reported experiencing. They had
participants conduct a series of postural exercises over the course of three weeks, and had
participants use a neck support pillow for a period of 12 weeks. What they found was that over
the three weeks and the12 weeks of engaging in the treatment, both resulted in a significant
decrease in the amount of pain that people reported having following each one.
The good news that comes with this research is that there are some simple things people can
do right at home to help combat their chronic neck pain. Postural exercises focus on one’s
posture, making sure that they are maintaining proper posture so that the spine is in balance.
Doing exercises that help to strengthen the muscles used in our posture helps to keep a better
alignment. Neck support pillows are readily available at stores and come in a variety of
options, including those for the bed, traveling, and for when sitting at your desk or watching
television. The neck support pillows help to relieve tension, reduce side-to- side movement, and
they help to cradle and support the neck.
Those who have chronic neck pain may want to add these options to their tool chest so that
they have a way they can try to find some relief. Chronic neck pain can have a negative effect
on one’s quality of life, so the effort put into maintaining proper posture and using a neck
support pillow may be well worth every minute put into it.
Sources:
1. National Institutes of Health. Chronic Pain: In Depth.
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/pain/chronic.htm
2. The Journal of Rheumatology. 2016 Aug 1. Pii: jrheum.151368.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27481909
