Injuries are a part of life and they happen to the best of us. They are obviously annoying and they decrease our productivity, but they can be managed with massages, exercise, heating, and other types of treatment. But if we were to completely eliminate that from happening in the first place? This is exactly the topic we’ll be discussing in this article, preventive methods for avoiding cervical spine injuries.
What are cervical spine injuries and why they’re common:
We hear a lot about cervical spine injuries these days, they are any type of damage done to the upper back-neck area including hernias and they can be very problematic. The reason why these are so common is because of the way that the neck is shaped. It’s supposed to absorb a lot of shocks that have been put on the body through jumping, walking, sitting, exercising, moving, but the area itself is not made for sustaining that much pressure. In addition to that, the cervical bones in the neck are surrounded by a lot of nerves, tendons, and ligaments which are so tight.
All of this added to the fixation that the neck has to be put into through working on the computer or desk can add to the causes of why cervical spine injuries are so common. Problems can include lack of mobility, pain, swelling, discomfort, and cracking.
How to prevent cervical spine injuries:
Just like there are a lot of ways to treat neck pain and cervical spine injuries, there are a lot of ways to strengthen that area and make it more resilient to injuries. Not only that, we can take easy precautionary actions every day if we experience cervical spine injuries more often.
Strengthening:
Mike Tyson was the first to make neck exercises more popular with his ridiculous looking methods. As comical as they looked, those neck exercises helped Mike Tyson developed on the toughest chins in boxing where even the strongest punchers in the heavyweight division could not knock him out. Strengthening your neck through exercises as simple as holding the side to side position can have a lot of benefits.
You can use this routine for starting out twice per week and work your way up:
Side to side: Hold your chin down to each shoulder for 10 seconds for 6 rounds on each.
Up and down: Slowly raise your head up and down controlling the head for 10 reps 10 times.
Other exercises that work the neck but not directly may include pull-ups, deadlifts, and front squats because they force the neck to be in an optimal position.
Stretching
This is a great method to use every day before and after you wake up to ensure your neck muscles do not develop knots and tightness over time. You can use your hands for assistance if you need more tension by pushing your head slightly to the angle you want to the neck to stretch. Be very careful when doing these and always start slow.
Use good posture:
The majority of pain and discomfort is caused by us sitting or walking in a suboptimal position. Always ensure that you are sitting, walking, and standing in a good posture. Make sure your eyes are directly forward, chest up, shoulders back, and arms straight out.
Use a cervical pillow:
Our neck stays fixed in a position for hours when we sleep, so obviously when we sleep in a bad position, it can cause injuries and pain. So make sure that you use a cervical pillow because it ensures that your head is in the right position at all times.
Avoid hazardous events:
One of the easiest ways to prevent a cervical spine injury is to never run into it in the first place. If you’re in a bar where a fight is breaking out, then just leave because you never know when you might have to engage. Another thing to do is avoid lifting heavy things, especially with bad form while doing other things.
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