Total Care PT: Relief for Radiating Neck Pain and Headaches

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

TEXT NECK: IS SMARTPHONE USE CAUSING YOUR NECK PAIN?

Virtually unheard of two years ago, “text neck” is a repetitive strain injury that’s becoming more common as more people hunch over smartphones. Aggravating muscle pain in the neck and shoulders, and sometimes lower back, is occurring even in teens and adolescents. Typically, incidence of neck pain increases with age. But today we’re seeing and treating more patients — younger patients — who never reported neck pain before. How can using a smartphone or other mobile device cause so much hurt? It’s all in how you look at it. Literally. Looking down, dropping your head forward, changes the natural curvature of your neck. Over time, that misalignment can strain muscles and cause wear and tear on the structures of the neck. Three things happen when you drop your head: 1. Your neck moves forward. 2. Your shoulders round forward and lift up. 3. Your neck and shoulder muscles contract. Neck muscles, in their proper position, are designed to support the weight of your head, about 10 to 12 pounds. Research shows that for every inch you drop your head forward, you double the load on those muscles. Looking down

at your smartphone, with your chin to your chest, can put about 60 pounds of force on your neck.

Besides muscle pain, text neck can cause a host of other health concerns. Sitting in a slumped position restricts your lungs’ ability to expand, impairing your lung capacity. Inhaling less oxygen means your heart needs to pump harder to distribute more oxygen-carrying blood through your body. To nix text neck, improve your posture. We recommend you: 1. Straighten up. Learn proper posture and neck alignment by peeking at your profile in a mirror. If you’re standing correctly, you should be able to draw a vertical line from your ear to your shoulder. 2. Arch back. If your posture isn’t perfect, try doing shoulder extensions. Arch your neck and upper back backward, pulling your shoulders into alignment under your ears. This simple stretch can alleviate stress and muscle pain. 3. Look forward. Rather than tilting your chin down to read your mobile device, raise the device to eye level. The same goes for your desktop computer. Your monitor screen should be at eye level so your head isn’t perpetually dropping and causing muscle strain.

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

NAGGING NECKS & THUMPING HEADS

Inside: • Common Problems Associated With Neck Pain

• Healthy Recipe

• Exercise Essentials

• Patient Success Spotlight

Happy With Your Experience? We would love for you to share your story of success with others! Please visit www.TotalCarePT.net and click on to get started!

How Neck Problems Cause Headaches Do you find it hard to get comfortable at night because of the ache in your neck or find you just hurt when you try to move in a certain direction? Many people suffer from chronic neck pain, tightness, and frequent headaches. However, few get the needed attention to address the root cause of the problem, trying to mask the symptoms with Advil or Tylenol. The neck is very complicated in its structure requiring good movement, posture, and support. Most of the rotating of your head comes from the upper part of the neck. Therefore, this is a very important part of your body. It is where the thickest part of the spinal cord goes through the spinal canal to the brain. It is also an important area that determines how your body balances. Main Causes of Neck Pain Neck pain can start for a number of reasons such as poor posture with sitting, car accidents, stress, injuries, or even falls. Since the neck is where blood vessels travel through to supply your head, muscle tightness can cause spasms of the arteries around the nerves of the neck and

head. This can cause headaches or even trigger migraines. People with neck problems often experience pain, tingling, or numbness, into the arms, hands, and even fingers. This happens, because the nerves exiting the spine in your neck, supply sensations to your arms and hands. If you find these types of symptoms occurring, it is important that you see one of our expert physical therapists at Total Care Physical Therapy. There is a lot that you can do to help your neck pain. The key is preventing the neck pain from starting in the first place. However, our daily lives don’t always dictate what is good for our neck and shoulders. In today’s society we sit a lot in slouched positions which is not good for the neck, upper back, and shoulders. Our jobs, driving in the car, picking up heavy objects, and repetitive straining can hurt the neck over a period of time. Have the spine experts at Total Care Physical Therapy examine your neck alignment, posture, movement, strength, and function to zero in on the root cause of your neck pain or headaches. Then with precise treatment and expert education we teach you how to prevent it from returning. Call us today to learn more how we can relieve your “pain in the neck”!

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COMMON PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH NECK PAIN

Whether you have upper, mid or lower neck pain, we can help. Neck pain can come from a number of disorders and diseases and can involve any of the tissues in the neck. Examples of common conditions causing neck pain are degenerative disc disease, neck strain, neck injury such as in whiplash, a herniated disc, or a pinched nerve. Below are some of the commonly affected areas of you neck: UPPER NECK Pain or injury here is often responsible for headaches to the scalp and face. This area helps with overall body balance and the ability to rotate the neck. MID NECK Pain or injury here is responsible for weakness and pain to the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers.

LOWER NECK Pain or injury in this area often presents with limited motion and contributes to a forward head posture. As a result this increases strain on the neck causing muscle pain and tension.

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Healthy Recipe

Quinoa & Lentil Stuffed Cabbage Rolls • 1 head of green cabbage

• 1 cup vegetable broth • 1 small onion, diced • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tsp smoked paprika

For the Sauce: • 1 (28 oz) can tomato puree • 1 tbsp maple syrup, or sweetener of choice

For the Filling: • 3/4 cup brown lentils • 3 cups water • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar • salt and pepper to taste

Begin boiling the cabbage in 3 in of water until the leaves peel off easily (about 20 min). When done, allow them to cool. While cabbage is simmering, bring lentils to a boil in a separate small saucepan. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 35 minutes, adding water to the pot as needed. Drain any excess liquid. While lentils simmer, place broth into another saucepan, add quinoa, and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 min until all of the water is absorbed (about 20 min). Cook onion with oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft and translucent (about 5 min). Add 1 1/2 cups of the cooked lentils and 1 cup of the cooked quinoa, along with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Make sure ingredients are mixed before removing from heat. Preheat the oven to 350°.Stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then distribute about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of 9 x 9 inch baking dish. After peeling leaves off of the cabbage head, roll about 3-4 tbsp of filling into the center of each leaf until all filling is used. Place each roll into the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over the rolls, cover and bake for 1 hour. Let the rolls cool before serving.

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Discover How To Live Pain Free!

Patient Success Spotlight

At Total Care Physical Therapy, you will receive hands-on therapy treatments by our friendly, caring health experts during focused and individualized sessions. 1. CALL AND TALK TO YOUR THERAPIST 2. DISCOVER WHY YOUR PAIN HAS COME BACK 3. GET YOUR CUSTOM RECOVERY PROGRAM FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

“I go toTotal Care PhysicalTherapy because you really do get “total” care there.Tom and everyone who works atTotal Care is genuinely concerned about all aspects of their patients.Tom takes theTime to explain exactly what he is doing and why. He answers questions and gives advice so that his patients are comfortable and confident with the care he provides.The atmosphere at Total Care PT is relaxed and friendly. I always feel sure that I am getting the best care possible while enjoying the time spent with other patients, Tom and his entire staff.” - Kathy K. “I always feel sure that I am getting the best care possible...”

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• Cost Effective • Non-invasive • Safe & Natural • State-of-the-art Facility Features of Physical Therapy: DO YOU SUFFER FROM NECK PAIN?

Exercise Essentials Try this stretch if you are experiencing neck pain.

Relieves Neck Pain

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SCALENE STRETCH Place your hands

Mention This Coupon To Receive A NECK PAIN ANALYSIS

overlapping on your breast bone. Next, tilt your head upwards and away from the affected side until a gentle stretch is felt along the front and side of your neck.

Call Today! 908-262-7404

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