What is the cause of neck muscle pain? What should I do?

Symptoms of neck pain often occur in work and life. Sometimes the pain recurs, affecting work and rest. So what causes the symptoms of neck pain? What should we do if the neck pain occurs?

Neck pain may be caused by the following factors:

First, muscle sprains, such as poor sleeping posture at night and the head and neck being in an excessively deflected position for a long time; or due to unsuitable pillows during sleep, which are too high, too low, or too hard, causing the head and neck to be in a hyperextended or hyperflexed state. This can cause muscle tension on one side of the neck and twist the small joints of the cervical spine. Static injuries can occur over a long period of time, resulting in stiffness and disharmony of the injured muscles, poor circulation of qi and blood, local pain and discomfort, and obvious limitation of movement. The second is feeling wind and cold, such as catching cold while sleeping, or being greedy for cold in midsummer, which can cause qi and blood stagnation in the neck and back, blockage of tendons and collaterals, resulting in stiffness, pain, and difficulty in movement.

What to do if you have neck pain?

Hot compress: hot water bag, electric hand warmer, hot towel and infrared light bulb can all relieve pain. Use a hot water bag, fill it with 40℃~50℃ hot water, and place it on the back of the neck for 10~20 minutes, twice a day, which can help to activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis. Be careful to prevent burns.

Press and rub Fengchi: Use the thumbs of both hands to press the Fengchi points on the same side (the depressions on both sides of the back of the neck), and the other fingers are attached to both sides of the head, and press and rub from light to heavy for 20 to 30 times. Efficacy: Dispel wind and cold, open the channels and relieve pain. Pinch the neck muscle: Raise the left (right) hand and place it behind the neck, place the thumb on the outside of the neck on the same side, and place the other four fingers on the opposite side of the neck muscle. Put both hands together, lift the neck muscle up and relax, and pinch along the Fengchi point down to the Dazhui point 20 to 30 times. Efficacy: Relieve numbness and pain, and harmonize qi and blood. Press Jianjing: Use the middle finger of the left (right) hand to press the Jianjing point on the opposite side (the midpoint of the line connecting Dazhui and acromion, the shoulder muscle), and then press from light to heavy for 10 to 20 times, alternating between the two sides. Efficacy: Promotes menstruation, dispels cold and relieves pain.

Medication: For early pain, you can use safflower oil, cloud essence, etc., rub the painful area 2 to 3 times a day, which has a certain effect. For some long-term pain caused by cervical spondylosis, you can choose to apply Chinese medicine plasters such as Anjingtie, which has an ideal analgesic effect, but the patient feels that the neck movement is restricted after applying the plaster, and pregnant women should not use it.

Acupuncture: For those who cannot bend forward and backward, use Dashu, Jinggu, and Kunlun points; for those who cannot look left and right, use Jianwaishu, Houxi, and Fengchi points. Generally, Xuanzhong point can be used, which is located three inches above Zuwaidong. Needle for 4 to 5 minutes, moxibustion for 3 to 7 minutes, or massage this point for 15 minutes each time.

Warm Tips

The above are only some of the methods to deal with neck pain. For some pain that cannot be eliminated for a long time, it is recommended to actively go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis, determine the cause and treat it accordingly. In daily life, you should pay attention to keeping your neck warm to avoid invasion of cold evil, and use some pillows of appropriate height. Pay attention to your normal working posture, and achieve a comfortable posture without raising your head or lowering your head. When working for a long time, you should move your head and neck once every hour to give the ligament muscles of the neck a proper rest. Usually strengthen the exercise of the neck and shoulder muscles. During breaks or after work, do flexion, extension and rotation exercises of the head and upper limbs, which can not only relieve fatigue, but also develop muscles and increase toughness, which is beneficial to the stability of the cervical spine and enhance the ability of the neck and shoulders to adapt to sudden changes in the neck.