Neck problems

Hey guys, I get really bad neck pains while quite often trigger migraines and distract me very often while I'm doing work, they're a large hinderance. Does anyone know any ways I could decrease them? I'm asking for exercises or stuff like that, as I have no budget.

 

Best advice? Drink water.

Seriously, it helped a helluva lot more than chiropractic care and daily stretching. A normal person needs to drink half their weight in ounces (if you weigh 170, you need to drink 85 oz of water) every day. For people like you and me, drinking a few extra glasses won't hurt. One gallon of water is about 4 L and is 128 oz, so drink up.

Other ways of helping: stretch at least five times a day. Try and touch your left ear to your left armpit; meanwhile, grab your right wrist behind your back and pull it towards your left hip. Switch after 30 seconds (sing "Happy Birthday" twice). You can also do sit-ups and crunches every day to strengthen your back and neck. I do 3 sets of 50 of each every day.

Also, think about what things you look at everyday. You want to always look above the "horizon", or basically straight ahead. I propped up my computer monitors on phone books so that they are 4 inches higher, and I bought a new TV stand in my living room that was higher up. If you use a laptop regularly, I suggest buying a peripheral mouse and keyboard so that you can prop up the laptop when you plan on using it extensively.

Lastly, watch how you sleep. If you sleep on a lot of pillows, you're likely hurting your neck. If you sleep on your stomach, you're definitely hurting hour neck. I have very broad shoulders, and I found a very flat (only 3 inches high) memory foam pillow works AMAZINGLY.

Last-lastly, just know that neck pain severe enough for a migraine is a big deal, even though doctors insist other things are causing the headaches. I had migraines for many years until I finally saw a chiropractor. His treatments helped, but it wasn't until I finally committed to a different routine (all of what I mentioned) did I finally lose the headaches.

Good luck. Having chronic headaches and migraines made my life miserable, so I hope you find a way to stop yours. Feel free to pm me questions, because I'll almost certainly forget about this posting after my insomnia wears off and I pass out.

 

Drink mineral water.

Always sleep on your back.

Workout sometimes.

 

I know you asked a low-cost suggestion, so ignore this if you must. However, like I said, migraines are very serious, even though your medical doctor probably dismisses them. If it's in the budget at all, I suggest seeing a good chiropractor. I had pinched several vertebral nerves, which was causing my personal pain. Without treatment, pinched disks and nerves can lead to permanent, irreversible damage to your spine and nervous system.

If it's not in the budget, your body can heal itself, it just takes longer. You'll need to, again, develop a routine with your back as a priority and stick with it extra hard in order to compensate for your back not being professionally adjusted on a regular basis.

 

Also if it's an injury like a sprain maybe ice would work? Not sure if that's what you meant.

 

You should also getting a heating pad, and get a pillow and place the heating pad on the pillow. Then just form it to your neck so you're laying on the pillow and heating pad.

 

Before I give any advice, where exactly is the pain?

 

I get headaches/migraines frequently as well and the best way I've found to avoid as many as possible is to stay hydrated and always be in a comfortable position. If you sleep awkwardly in a way that puts undue stress on your neck, changing that can help loads. I know you said you have no budget but an over the counter solution to help with headaches is Excedrin. I've tried many painkillers in the past for headaches (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil, etc) and none seem to help much if any with headaches, but Excedrin really does work for me. It's not super expensive or anything either. Fair warning, the pills smell/taste like asshole though (at least the kind I buy does) but there is no aftertaste/bad breath.

Best of luck.