Neck and arm pain can really be debilitating especially when your job or lifestyle is physically demanding. Time and employments are lost when such pain gets to you. This types of pain can either involve nerve loss or not. If there are no nerve malfunctions, a patient may resort to cervical traction, manipulation, analgesics, or cervical collars. If ever the pain still lasts for about four to six weeks, then there is already a need for further diagnostic exams like CT scan, discography, myelography, and MRI to really find out what is wrong.

Pain in the arm is an indication that there is something wrong with your neck or cervical spine. Problems in this area also affect the hands and shoulders. They could be caused by over-straining your neck, worn out ligaments and muscles, and trauma. Once you experience neck and arm pain, it is best for you to immediately seek your doctor’s help.

You can experience neck and arm pain in two ways—acute and chronic. Acute pain is characterized by a dull or very sharp pain. You can treat acute neck and arm pain through prevention, medication, and therapeutic exercises. Recovery is usually six to eight weeks. Those who experience acute neck and arm pain at least three times in a year, would find themselves having difficulties in sleeping, sitting, and driving among others. This eventually becomes a chronic ailment. Chronic neck and arm pain is the burning, deep, dull ache in an area of the neck that descends to the arms. There could also be tingling and numbness. This type of neck and arm pain lasts for a long period of time and is usually unrelieved by rest, therapy or medications. It may have been caused by arthritis, nerve damage, or a past injury. Here  are some of the things that you can do to remedy yourself from your neck and arm pain:

1. Ice packs

Place an ice pack at your neck’s base for about 15 minutes, four to six times in a day. This should go on for a week. Then reduce the frequency to two to three times everyday if the symptoms re still there. Gel ice packs and bags of frozen veggies would also do fine.

 

 

 

 

2. Medications

It is best if you consult your doctor for the best pain reliever medicine for you. Mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, or paracetamol are OTC drugs that you could ask about.

 

 

 

 

3. Cervical collar

One of the remedies for neck and arm pain is wearing a cervical collar for about two weeks.  You could make us of a rolled towel around your neck. But this may lead to muscle weakness in the neck area.

 

 

 

 

4. Sit

Sitting properly can relieve you of your neck and arm pain. You should sit with a rolled towel behind your lower back. Then support the arms to release the load on the neck and shoulders. Do not sit very long (exceeding 30 minutes). Sit on soft an comfortable sofas and chairs.

 

 

 

5. Stand and walk

A fanny pack instead of a purse could help you with your neck and arm pain. If you have to stand up, elevate one foot on a foot stool. Do what you need to do while standing up for one whole hour. Then lay to rest for five to ten minutes. This allows the strained tissues to relax.

 

 

 

 

6. Move your neck

When you have neck and arm pain, you should not tilt your head backwards or even turn it to the painful side. Just rotate your head slowly to ease your pain.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Sleep properly

When you sleep and you have neck and arm pain, you should rest on your back and make sure you use two pillows to form a “V” to support your shoulders and head. You could also lie sideways, then place a pillow in between your legs and under your neck and head. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.

 

 

 

 

Neck and arm pain can be attributed to spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis involves the narrowing of that area of the spine where the nerve leaves and passes through the entire body. This “narrowing may be caused by arthritis, trauma, tumors, thickened structures of bone, bone spurs, and thickened ligaments. When this happens, there is pinching, irritation, loss of function, and pain. It is always best to seek medical advice when you have neck and arm pain. You can try these remedies but be under the watchful eye of your physician so that proper diagnostic tests may be performed just in case your neck and arm pain persists.