The current pandemic has greatly impacted our day to day lifestyle. Staying at home and having our gyms closed have made our physical bodies become very inactive.
To make matters worse, some of you might be working from home and sitting for long hours at your work desk.
Do you feel pain in your neck while using the computer for long hours?
Inactivity from staying home causes increased joint stiffness and loss of range of motion. It poses many health risks, some of which can be serious.
In fact, research shows that sitting for more than eight hours can lead to postural problems like disc damage, strained neck and swayed back in the long run.
How to relieve shoulder and neck aches?
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Adjust Your Sitting Postures
Maintaining good postures is especially important to the health of the cervical spine. Whether you are sitting down or standing, you need to maintain with a head upright, shoulders straight and balanced.
Here are some tips for you:
- Tilt the body a little backward for better support on the neck to prevent fatigue.
- Place your arms on arm supporter to allow the shoulders to relax
- Adjust the chair’s height to make it on the same height as the keyboard.
- When using a computer, the screen should be at eye level.
2. Have a good pillow
A good pillow can provide your neck with good support. It allows the neck, shoulder, hip bone, and heels to be on the same line of alignment.
If the pillow is too high, it will cause the head to shift up. This can strain the neck, causing discomfort and pain the next morning. In addition, sleeping in this position narrows the airway for breathing, leading to snoring.
If the pillow is too soft, it will cause the head to shift away from the neutral point. This results in tightening, pain, and discomfort of the neck as well as poor body postures.
Some of you might also be having backache from long hours of sitting without back support (such as a rolled-up towel) at the curve of your back.
How to relief backache?
Here are 2 simple stretching exercises that you can do anytime.
Bent knees lateral twist
- Lie flat down on your back on
- Place both hands on the abdomen.
- Bend knees to an angle of 90⁰ (keep your knees bend at all time) (Figure 1)
- Twist your hips to one side, make sure your knees touch the ground (Figure 2).
- Repeat on the other side.
- Do 3 sets of 10 times for each side.
Lateral stretch for back
- Lie flat on your back.
- Stretch out both hands above your head with your feet upturned. (Figure 3)
- Stretch to the sides of your body alternately for 10 times on each side.
*Do 3 sets of 10*
For the above exercises, always remember to do within your limits. Breathe normally and regularly. Do not hold your breath.
How does TCM help in pain relief?
Besides home remedies, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a highly effective way to relieve pain through the following 3 methods.
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TCM Acupuncture
Acupuncture has long been recognized as an effective treatment for chronic pain. Physicians inserts needles, usually made of stainless steel and measuring from 13 to 70 mm, on defined acupoints along the meridians to bring harmony to the body and relieve pain.
Here are a few explanations on how acupuncture works for pain relief:
- Trigger points stimulated by acupuncture could release chemicals from the spinal cord, muscles, and brain that are naturally pain-relieving.
- Releases neurotransmitters that send messages regulating the on/off mechanisms of various nerve endings that shut off the pain.
- Triggers electromagnetic impulses in the body. These impulses can help speed the body’s natural healing by resolving the cause of the pain.
Regardless of how it works, trials on acupuncture for treating back pain show great results with little risk of side effects.
Book your first trial offer of acupuncture here.
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TCM Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy that is hence useful to treating these conditions by expelling the cold, wind and dampness that blocked the flow of “qi” stuck at the joints. The process involves the burning of dried Moxa leaves for stimulating circulation through the acupoints.
Moxibustion is especially useful for treating joint pain, stiffness and arthritic inflammation. These conditions are mainly caused by wind, cold, and dampness according to Chinese medicine.
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TCM Tuina
Tuina combines massage, trigger point, and other techniques to stimulate specific acupoints, meridians and muscles to unblock the flow of Qi in the pain areas. Qi that’s flowing incorrectly can cause blockages, such as poor blood circulation, tension, pain and soreness in the affected area. Overall time, this causes the accumulation of more toxins and illnesses in the body.
TCM Tuina is hence able to alleviate that by unblocking those areas of tension in the body and releasing the trapped sick energy out of the body. This process requires the physician or therapist to be able to find the specific acupoints to massage on the patient. With the right technique, patients experience relief of their pain.
Book a session with our in-house therapist with years of experience today.