Tips to Keep the Cervical Spine Healthy

The cervical spine supports the head and allows for head and neck movement. Since it isn’t protected like the rest of the spine, the neck is more vulnerable to injury. Let’s look at some simple considerations that should be kept in mind to avoid neck injury and pain. 

Our spine is divided into 5 main parts - cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx. The cervical spine is the top part of the vertebral column or spine. Always carrying 4.5-5 kg weight of the head, our neck supports it and allows for its movement in all directions. From an incorrect posture while sleeping or sitting to jerky movement while playing or exercising can trigger neck pain. Most of the times, the pain eases on its own in a couple of days; however, at times, you might need pain meds and physiotherapy. Look for centers that provide the best neck pain treatment in Delhi, after carefully analyzing your symptoms and causes that triggered cervical pain. If you are more vulnerable to a neck problem, these principal tips will significantly help you to keep the problem at bay.

1. Staying Hydrated: The vertebras or bones that make the spine have discs in between them that act as shock absorbers and provide cushioning to avoid friction and wear and tear between vertebras. These discs have 2 parts, the inner nucleus pulposus, and the outer annulus fibrosus. The inner part, i.e., nucleus pulposus, is mainly composed of water and acts as the cushion between vertebras. With age, the discs tend to dry out and become inflexible, which affects mobility and may even cause nerve pinching and pain. Dehydration too can also cause the inner nucleus to become dry and shrink. When this happens, all the pressure goes on the outer annulus fibrosus, which isn’t made to carry weight. As a result, the disc begins to collapse and result in a bulging disc or herniated disc which may pinch a nerve and cause severe pain in neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.  So drink plenty of water to keep the spinal discs supple and prevent neck pain. Especially if you stay indoors in an air conditioned room for long hours, keep a water bottle with you to prevent dehydration.

2. Check your computer monitor level: A lot of times, when working on the computer, particularly the laptop, the computer screen is quite below the eye level. As a result, when looking at the monitor screen, we have to bend the neck down. Sitting continuously in this position while working can cause a strained neck. You must place the computer monitor in such a way that that you gaze straight, without bending the neck, at the computer screen while working. Align the screen such that your gaze is 2-3 inches below the top of the monitor screen. Use a stand to raise the monitor/laptop screen to eye level.

3. Posture while working: In the neutral stance, i.e., sitting with spine straight, all the muscles are in the ideal position. Typically when we start our day, the backbone is straight and long, but as the hours go by we round our back and jut the head forward. Sitting with a rounded back places pressure on the neck muscles as they have to work extra in this unnatural position. The strain and pressure result in neck pain. So check your posture every couple of hours. The moment you realize that the spine is rounded and your head forward, tuck the chin back in and bring the spine straight. Try switching between a standing and sitting workstation every couple of hours to develop the habit of keeping the spine erect.

4. Using phone while talking or messaging: We spend a lot of time on our phones, chatting, messaging, checking emails, etc. Tilting the head sideways while talking on the phone or looking down at the phone reading WhatsApp messages, etc. all adversely affect our cervical spine. Keep the phone use to minimal. Use headphones while taking and keep the phone at eye level while reading messages.

5. Neck exercises: With our sedentary lifestyle, we simply can’t avoid some things. If your work demands sitting for long hours or taking calls, etc., do some neck stretches to maintain spinal flexibility and prevent neck and shoulder stiffness. Take a 5-minute break every few hours to do these simple neck stretches, like side to side movement, neck rotation, head to shoulder stretch, etc.

A lot of times, stress causes stiffness and sole muscles, especially around the neck and shoulders. Take steps to combat stress. Meditation and yoga are great for a healthy spine. Practice yoga a couple of times weekly to reduce stress. Yoga helps prevent back problems by strengthening the spinal muscles and is highly effective for lower back pain treatment and cervical spine pain too. If the neck pain doesn’t improve in a couple of weeks, you will need professional help. Vardan has the best team of therapists and offers revolutionary functional manual therapy for severe neck pain treatment in Delhi. With its unique holistic approach, they aim at eliminating the root cause of the pain, for complete recovery and any future recurrence.