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How To Treat Neck Pain

The neck bones are a continuation of the spine. The top seven vertebrae are called cervical or neck vertebrae. The seventh one makes the prominent bump that you can feel where your back joins your neck. The upper-most vertebrae, the Atlas, holds up the skull. The second vertebrae, the Axis, has a vertical peg around which the head turns. The entire neck is more flexible than the back. It bears less weight but also is less well protected by thick muscles. The disc spaces in the neck can get narrow, bony spurs can form, and nerves can get caught and compressed, just as in the low back. Arthritis such as spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis can affect the neck, and rheumatoid arthritis is particularly likely to affect the top two vertebrae, allowing the head to slip forward and backward.

Rest the neck and listen for what the pain message tells you not to do. You can fold a bath towel lengthwise so that it is a four-inch-wide strip, and wrap the neck with it, securing it comfortably with a safety pin or tape. Now you have a soft neck brace to wear at night, and this will clear up nearly half of all neck pain problems. If pain persists, use the soft collar during the day as well or buy a commercial soft collar to wear. You want some support from the collar, but more than that you want a little reminder not to turn your head too far or too fast.