Neck pain is one of the most difficult chronic pains to diagnose and to treat.
It is very often called the “modern disease of technology” for while it has always been a problem for mankind, more people are having chronic neck pain problems due to working on computers or constantly being on their cell phones.
It can take more than just taking a break to relive the pain. You have to know how to relieve it, and how to prevent it from happening again which is the entire focus of Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain.
The difficulties in diagnosing neck pain
Neck issues rarely show up clearly explained in an x-ray or an MRI scan. Physicians must rely on the patient reporting of their pain and discomfort level.
The problem with that is for many people, the pain they are in can be so pervasive they may not even initially identify it as neck pain until the problem has become very complicated.
This is one of the reasons that is may seem difficult to get a diagnosis of chronic neck pain from a Western physician.
The real reluctance behind their giving the diagnosis without solid evidence is the only way they really know how to treat chronic pain is through narcotic pain medication.
That really isn’t true, Western medicine very much supports the use of the techniques that Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain has used for centuries, but they recognize that most people who are coming in don’t want to change their life – they just want a one-step solution to not feeling more pain.
Given the complications of long term pain medication use, physicians are reluctant to issue a diagnosis, but they are also reluctant to direct people to complementary treatments as they just don’t believe the patient will follow through.
If you are looking for a medication free solution for your neck pain, you will do well to explore Ayurvedic medicine.
What is the Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain?
The core of the Ayurvedic treatment is focused on reintroducing a range of movement to the affected area to reduce the hardening of the cartilage and push the body back into alignment.
Massage with maharani oil is also recommended, as well as a full course of herbs and Ayurvedic medicines. Herbs such as:
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Jatamansi
- Skullcap
among others are all prescribed by the practitioner. These herbs are known to promote muscle relaxation and to stimulate the body’s digestive systems to promote the clearing of toxins more easily.
Getting the muscles to relax is of primary importance, which is the first step to relieving the pain.
The next step is to then create lifestyle habits that will support healthy neck motion and muscles.
The next step in treatment – diet
Avoiding sweet, sour and salty foods is going to play a huge role in the changes that you will need to make to your diet.
These tastes are considered to be “luxuries of the Vata,” and they interfere with the healthy activity of the Vata energy.
You will also make dietary adjustments as well to make sure that the doshas are kept in balance.
Study after study has shown that the worst thing that you can do for any type of neck pain is to stop moving. If you stop moving, the joints and muscle begin to freeze and atrophy.
With careful management of movement, you can keep a full range of motion while also using the diet and medicines to improve your circulation and detoxifying support systems to allow your body to recover faster – which all works together to reduce your pain.
Regaining your quality of life
The main benefit of following the prescribed treatment is that it begins to return normalcy to your life.
As you regain health and flexibility, you also begin to increase your resiliency physically, emotionally and mentally.
The holistic approach of Ayurveda addresses all of the aspects of what makes a person’s quality of life.
The Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain doesn’t just focus on the back area with the pain and stiffness, it goes beyond to look at and address other issues in your life to also correct how neck pain is causing problems in areas you wouldn’t think it would be associated with.
This is the true method of holistic medicine; the “problem” is seen as one that affects the total quality of a person’s life, not just the symptom and its isolated area of disruption.
Understanding the realities of chronic pain
Chronic pain of any type is a reality that more people live with than you think. If you are experiencing chronic pain, you may feel like no one else in the world knows what you are going through.
You may also feel that it is horribly unfair that you are expected to “smile and soldier on” to protect other people from the true extent of your pain to preserve a social circle.
This is why the experience of chronic pain is not only physically debilitating, but demoralizing.
In Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain, the symptoms of the pain aren’t the only things that are address.
Ayurveda emphasizes identifying the cause, and identifying all the other ways that the cause or the symptoms are disrupting your emotional, mental, spiritual and physical life.
The asanas used to treat neck pain help you to restore your equilibrium on many different fronts in your life.
Using Ayurveda medicine as more than a lifestyle
It is only in the West that we divide the Ayurvedic treatment for neck pain from the Ayurveda beliefs. They aren’t really separate, but one in the same.
The holistic nature of the medicine is just one facet of the holistic beliefs of the philosophy.
Ayurveda treatment isn’t something that you do until your symptoms disappear; it is a way of learning to live that will improve the quality of your life.
Once the pain is under control, the treatment begins to show you patterns and methods of improving your health and wellbeing that will serve you well.
Thanks for sharing. I agree with your recommendation and i think that, to treatment a neck pain you also should use a right pillow