Top 5 Home Remedies for Neck Joint Pain

5 Ayurvedic Practices for Your Optimal Neck Joint Health

Here are effective solutions you can try to improve your neck health from home:

Hot and Cold Therapy

Hot and cold therapies for your neck are like a two-headed arrow. Both of these therapies can effectively reduce your neck problems. These are a couple of simplest, inexpensive, and easy-to-try ways. Moreover, you can practise them conveniently in the comfort of your home.

Heat Therapy 

It involves applying optimal heat to the affected area. The practice helps in the following ways:

• Increasing the blood flow to the targeted part
• Decreases the Muscle tension
• Helps in the relaxation of the muscles
• Improves the range of motion 
• Soothes arthritic conditions

Cold Therapy 

It involves the external application of ice packs over the affected area. It benefits you in different ways. Some of them are:

• It helps in the constriction of your blood vessels, which helps to reduce inflammation
• Further, it numbs the pain. 
• It also assists in the reduction of swelling
• And lastly, it is effective for sprains and strains

Alternating Hot and Cold Therapy

Even better, it is one of the most effective applications of Hot and cold therapy. Its benefits include:

• Reducing inflammation as well as muscle tension.
• Performing heat therapy at first increases the blood flow and relaxes the muscle, and practising cold therapy after that reduces inflammation and swelling.

Instructions for Application

• For heat therapy, use a hot water bottle, warm compress or a heating pad. For cold therapy, use a cold compress or an ice pack.
• Apply a heat compress on the affected part for 20 minutes, followed by applying a cold compress for 10 minutes. Repeat the cycle for 2-3 times.

Precautions

• Never directly apply heat or cold. Always use a barrier like a towel or a cloth.
• If you have diabetes, reduced blood circulation or any skin conditions, avoid heat therapy.
• If you have a tingling sensation, numbness or reduced circulation in the targeted area, avoid cold therapy
• Always be careful not to overuse heat or cold therapy.

Neck Stretches and Exercises

Stretching is crucial for the proper health of your neck. Not only is this effective, but it is also easy to practise. You can practise these anywhere at any time. Moreover, these stretches help in reducing neck pain as well as improving its flexibility. Following are some neck stretches and exercises that you can practise:

Practise these gentle stretches and exercises during office hours by taking occasional intervals. Taking breaks consciously and voluntarily will help your neck joints.

Ayurvedic Solutions for Neck Joint Care

If you are suffering from pain and stiffness in your neck, relief is just a massage away. You can employ a variety of medicated herbal oils and powdered herbal medicines to massage your neck. But always remember that even though the solutions are natural, they require the supervision of an Ayurvedic practitioner. Choosing what therapy works for you and selecting an oil or powder based on your condition involves expertise.

Ayurveda enlists a few oils and powders for external application. Some of them are as follows: 

You can also use oils like peppermint for massage. But if you consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner and select an appropriate medicated oil or powder for your neck condition, it will do wonders.

The Triangle of Mind, Body and Neck

Meditation for Your Neck Pain

Stress is everywhere. We should learn techniques to combat it for better health. It stands proven that stress affects your body. The latest research also suggests the connection between psychological stress and neck pain. Knowing more about this and addressing this issue can help to overcome stress-induced neck pain. The following are some of the practical solutions to manage your stress from your home:

Deep Breathing

It is an effortless and effective relaxation technique that you can practise from anywhere and at any time. To do deep breathing, follow these steps:

1. Find a comfortable position to sit.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
3. Slowly breathe in through your nose deeply, allowing your stomach to rise.
4. Breathe out slowly through your mouth, allowing your stomach to fall.
5. The focus should be on your breathing and relaxing your neck muscles.
6. Continue deep breathing for 5-10 minutes or as long as needed.

Meditation

The said practice involves focusing your attention. There are many different types of meditation, but they can all help reduce stress and improve relaxation.

To try meditation for neck pain, follow these steps:

1. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
2. Sit on the floor comfortably with your back straight and your feet flat.
3. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
4. Be aware of your chest and stomach movements as you breathe.
5. When your mind gets out of focus, gently bring it back to your breath.
6. Continue meditating for 5-10 minutes or as long as needed.

Ayurveda and Yoga strictly emphasise the connection between your body and your mind. Therapeutic Yoga can cure your neck pain as it can specifically cater to individual medical conditions. Connect with our expert panel to tackle your mental stress and neck problems.

Fomentation with Salt Poultice 

Last but not least, we introduce you to fomentation therapy, one of the excellent external procedures described in Ayurveda to relieve pain and inflammation. Among many fomentation techniques, one that you can quickly try and have an immediate effect is fomentation using rock salt.

Why Rocksalt?

In Ayurveda, rocksalt houses abundant benefits. It contains anti-inflammatory properties, which help to reduce inflammation and pain. It also indirectly improves circulation, and this promotes better joint health.

How to Do It?

Before you begin to learn how to do it, you have to collect the following materials:

Rocksalt - 200g

Thread - 2m

Cotton cloth - As required to tie the materials, take a sufficient quantity. 

• Make the rock salt into a bolus
• Heat this bolus without using any oil or other liquids.
• Make a poultice of appropriate size using a cotton cloth with this bolus.
• Check the poultice for optimum temperature and gently massage your neck using this poultice.
• Continue the massage till you feel relief.

Point to Note: Always refrain from overheating the bolus or poultice.

Conclusion

In this digital era, we conveniently ignore the health of our necks. With more screen usage and changing postures, you must prioritise your neck joint health. Allot sufficient time during working hours for doing proper stretches. 

Moreover, you can perform all the techniques mentioned above from the comfort of your home with ease. After all, they are proactive steps that you can take for better neck joint health. However, always consult an Ayurvedic practitioner before opting for a medicated oil or powder to massage your neck.