Sports & Ortho PT. Neck Pain & Headaches

Sports & Ortho PT. Neck Pain & Headaches

Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

INSIDE: • The Problem With Posture • Healthy Recipe • Relieve Neck Pain In Minutes • Patient Success Spotlight • Sudoku Puzzle

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NECK PAIN & HEADACHES

Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NECK PAIN & HEADACHES

Headacheshaveabadhabitofmaking theirappearanceat themost inconvenient times. The middle of the workday, early in the evening when you have hours of responsibilitiesaheadofyou,orevenfirst thing in themorningwhenyouare trying to pay attention to your morning meeting — headaches don’t care how important the work ahead of you is. When they start, they are hard to stop. There are all sorts of reasons why headaches may develop. From environmental factors likeweatherchangesandexposure tocertainperfumesorotherscents, to stressandallergies,headacheshappen to thebestofus.However, therearesome headachesthatmaybeabitmorepredictablethanothers.Factors likeyourposture, the typeofmattressyousleepon, thepillowyouuse,oreven thedeskchairyousit in at work can all impact your risk for experiencing regular headaches because of the intricate network of nerves and muscles in your neck. When Neck Pain Leads to Headaches Themajorityofthetime,neckpainstartsoutasaseeminglysmallconcern.Acrick in your neck here or there may start to develop more frequently, and before you

know it,yourexperienceofneckpain issomethingyouaredealingwithdaily. It isn’t always the resultofsomething large.Whilebeing inacaraccidentorexperiencing another sort of injury can definitely lead to chronic neck pain, the cause of the issue isn’t always as simple to identify. Sometimes it is a bad habit that you don’t really think twice about, like your habit of watching TV as you fall asleep, keeping yourneckatanoddangleasyou rest for theevening,ormaybeasa resultofyour posture as you type at your desk every day, hunched over at the shoulders with your neck catching the brunt of your slouch. These poor habits are common, and most of us consider them to be harmless. Sure, you know it isn’t great for you, but what is actually going to happen? It’s a lot easier toslouchasyou type,andwhodoesn’twant tocatchafew late-night laughs as theyfallasleep?But thereality is that theseseemingly irrelevanthabitscouldbe putting undue stress on your neck, and if you aren’t careful, this could translate to regular and uncomfortable headaches that are difficult to get rid of.

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T H E P R O B L EM W I T H P O S T U R E

Working with a physical therapist can help you to identify whether or not your headachesmaybetheresultofneckpainorstrain.Oneofthemostcommoncauses ofheadachesduetoneckpain isforwardheadposition.Forwardheadpositionmeans that when you are resting your head, you are continuing to hold your head slightly forward, which is a type of slouching position. Youcan identifywhetherornotyouhaveaforwardheadpositionbystandingstraight against the wall and determining whether or not your head rests against the wall as yourbackdoes. Ifyourheaddoesnot touch thewallwhenyouarestandingstraight, thenyouaren’tfullystandingupstraight!Asyearsgobyanddayafterdayyoucontinue toholdyourhead inthisforwardposition,youcanstarttoexperiencepainasaresult of strain in the muscles of the neck. Whenthis isan issue,workingwithaphysicaltherapistmaybeabletohelp.Stretching themuscles inyournecktoalleviateneckstraincanreducetheseverityandregularity of your headaches. Stretching the muscles that have grown tight along the back of your neck as well as those along the shoulders can help you find relief from the tension that is causing your pain. When dealing with neck pain, it is important to remember that safety has to come first. While there are many simple activities you can try at home to begin stretching your neck muscles, working with a physical therapist is the only way to ensure that you are stretching in a way that won’t potentially lead to greater injury. For more information, contact Sports & Ortho PhysicalTherapy and start your journey toward recovery and healthy living!

H E A LT H Y R E C I P E Blackened Chicken With Avocado Sauce

INGREDIENTS • 4 (4 oz) chicken breasts • 2 tbsp blackened seasoning • ½ cup plain, Greek yogurt • ½ avocado

• 1 tsp lemon juice • ½ tsp garlic powder • ⅛ tsp salt • 2 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS Place the chicken breasts and blackened seasoning in a large resealable bag. Seal and shake a few times to evenly coat the chicken. Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the yogurt, avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt and pulse until smooth and creamy. To serve, top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the creamy avocado sauce and garnish with ½ tablespoon green onions.

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PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT

SKIP THE SCRIPT!

“You made my broken down body strong again!”

“Thank You, Sports and Ortho! Once again, you made my broken down body strong again. Thank you, Caitlin, for all you have done. Your knowledge and skills go beyond comprehension. Thanks to Chrissy and Sam as well, you guys are awesome, and Chrissy’s Dry Needling is a Godsend!” - TH

You don’t need a doctor’s script to come to Sports and Ortho! Call to schedule an evaluation with us at your earliest convenience

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1 If you have pain, come in for a free assessment at any of our five locations. Don’t wait, we can help! BRIDGEPORT 312-225-3119 NORTHWEST SIDE 773-657-3897 LINCOLN PARK 773-904-8881 BEVERLY 773-779-7970 GLENVIEW/NORTHBROOK 224-282-8133 7

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Relieve Neck Pain In Minutes Try this movement to relieve neck pain

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7 The aim of this game is to fill in empty squares using digits from 1 to 9. Each digit must be found once and only once per line, per column and per region. 8 1 4 http://1sudoku.com n°315825 - LevelHard

Cervical Flexion Sit in a chair with good posture. Lower your chin as if you are nodding yes, using your arm to assist until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your neck. Hold the position, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

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