Stress is a part of life. Everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives. Our bodies can handle and manage stress in small doses. However, when your stress levels stay elevated, it can affect your body in manifest in various ways, including neck pain. Sometimes a little rest is enough to ease neck pain, but in some instances, people need more support and seek either immediate or natural relief for neck pain in Decatur. Let’s deep dive into the connection between neck pain stress and the critical steps you need to do to cope better.
What stress can do to your neck
Can you believe that stress can do all the things we shared above to different systems in our bodies? It shows how stress negatively impacts your body when not properly managed. If you understand how neck pain is linked to stress, you might easily be able to find ways to manage and avoid it from happening again.
Sometimes stress also causes your muscles to tense up, leading to pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Different areas of your body can store stress, including upper back muscles, jaw, and neck. The tension caused by stress may shift your spinal bones’ alignment and irritate the vital nerves between your spinal bones. Chronic or acute stress can potentially lead to vertebral subluxation, which is when the vertebrae in your spine become misaligned.
Subluxation or misalignment can cause various symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and even difficulty concentrating. If you are still experiencing any of these symptoms despite exploring different solutions, you may already need to consult with a chiropractor to diagnose or rule out subluxation. If a subluxation diagnosis is confirmed, they can recommend a series of adjustments to get your spine back into alignment and relieve your symptoms.
Is there a natural relief for neck pain in Decatur?
When neck pain already interferes with your life, it’s time to find the best option to fight your stress and neck pain. There are practical and natural ways to help relieve your neck pain triggered by stress. Here are our recommendations:
- Good posture
First, it’s essential to practice and maintain good posture. For example, sitting or standing up straight can relieve the pressure off your spine and helps prevent subluxation. Good posture while sleeping will also help prevent pressure and stress from your neck. Hence, we strongly suggest making necessary adjustments to make way for improved body posture, regardless of the time of day or the activity you engage in.
- Invest in an ergonomic chair
If you recently shifted from office work to remote work, just like many others, investing in a good ergonomic chair may be one of the best decisions you can ever make. Ergonomic chairs aid in alleviating neck pain by providing enough support for your spine and neck while sitting for long hours.
- Taking breaks
Requiring yourself to take breaks throughout the day to stretch your muscles or walk around and move will help reduce tension and improve circulation in the neck and shoulders. For those required to sit or stand for long hours at work, try switching your position once in a while to engage other muscles and give your active muscles a break. You may also try quick deskercises such as latissimus and pectoralis stretch.
- Regular exercise
Engaging in regular exercise and movement can trigger the production of chemicals that helps counteract the effects of stress. For example, happy hormones such as endorphins are released through exercise and are known to reduce stress, improve your sense of well-being, and reduce stress.
- Getting enough sleep
Getting a good amount of sleep every month is necessary to help your body rest and recover. Practicing good sleeping habits should be included in your daily to-do list as it helps keep your stress levels as low as possible. Quality sleep helps improve chronic pain too, which can include neck pain.
- Receiving specific chiropractic adjustments
This natural and gentle method helps maintain the alignment and balance in your spine and corrects misalignments that bring unnecessary pain and discomfort, including neck pain. If you explore this route, consult only with someone reputable and certified to help better address your concerns.
Visit Chiropractic For Everybody
Dr. O’Brien of Chiropractic for Everybody is a trusted chiropractor who can help provide natural relief for neck pain in Decatur through gentle adjustments of your bones.
If stress has caused you to endure long-term pain in the neck, you can call us at 404-370-8050 or reach us online, and we will do our best to find the underlying cause of your pain and discomfort. In addition, our chiropractic doctor will check the alignment of your spine and examine if your neck pain is related to vertebral subluxation.
If we confirm a shift in alignment and balance, we recommend a series of gentle and precise adjustments that will encourage your bones to move back to their rightful place. When it’s back to proper alignment, your body will start to function without interference and regenerate naturally from any damage inflicted by the misalignment due to its natural healing abilities.
Finally, this can help ease your neck muscles and significantly reduce or eliminate neck pain. Some of our patients have shared their positive experiences following a few adjustments from our chiropractor, Dr. Stephanie O’Brien. Let us help you improve your health and general well-being through chiropractic adjustments, talk to us today!
To schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Brien, call our Decatur office at 404-370-8050. You can also click the button below.