Firsly in the news this week, the legalization of marijuana is slowly underway. With this past election, Oregon has fully legalized recreational marijuana making marijuana completely legal in three states, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. Washington D.C. has voted for major decriminalization of marijuana, making it legal to grow six marijuana plants in one’s household and making it legal to posses up to two ounces of marijuana if one is over 21.
Many say that marijuana helps joint pain and has many other beneficial medical uses. At Cross Bay Physical Therapy, we use a series of specific stretches and exercises to reduce one’s neck pain. Here are a few reasons why you may be experiencing neck pain.
1. Muscle strains - Overuse and awkward positions such as being hunched over the steering wheel or bad sleep positions may trigger a muscle strain in your neck causing a lot of pain.
2. Worn out joints - With age, wear and tear of joints can occur, which in turn, creates neck pain.
3. Nerve compressions - herniated disks or bone spur in the vertebrae of the neck may be pressing on the nerves in your neck and causing neck pain.
4. Injuries - Whiplash injuries, where the neck is jerked forward or backward stretches the neck’s soft tissue creating stiffness and pain in the neck.
5. Disease - Neck pain can sometimes be caused by diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer.
Often times, neck pain gets better after a few days and in many cases, the pain subsides after four to six weeks. If you are still experiencing neck pain after this time period, visit your doctor. Your doctor will diagnose the problem. He may prescribe physical therapy to help alleviate your neck pain.
Physical Therapy For Neck Pain
The aim of physical therapy is to relieve stiffness, strengthen the area, and restore normal neck function. At physical therapy, you will undergo several physical therapy treatment methods such as cold or heat applications, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and deep tissue massage. You can expect your physical therapist to apply such methods at different times during your appointment.
Your physical therapist will also train you in a series of stretching and strengthening exercises, improving both the mobility, flexibility, and strength of your neck.
If you need physical therapy, Cross Bay Physical Therapy can help! Our office is located in Howard Beach, Queens. Our trained physical therapists help patients to alleviate neck pain and train their neck muscles to avoid future neck problems. If you have neck pain in Howard Beach, give us a call today at (718) 835-0084 and schedule a consultation! We also can serve as physical therapists for Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Lindenwood, and Woodhaven.
By Benjamin Bieber