pain treatment - Hope Clinic Care

Waking up with a stiff neck is definitely not a pleasant way to start your day. It can be painful, extremely inconvenient, and interfere with your daily routine and activities. With a stiff neck, even simple movements can be a little more difficult to do. In a lot of cases, strained neck muscles are a result of incorrect sleeping positions, but how could you have noticed the way you sleep when you are… well, asleep?

Fret not, although it might sound impossible to control how you sleep, there are some things you can do to minimize awkward sleeping positions! In addition to that, take a look at these main causes for a stiff neck and how to treat one.

Awkward sleeping positions

We all have our own preferred sleeping positions, but there are 3 main positions: back, side, and stomach. The position that is a total no-no is sleeping on your stomach! Why so? When you sleep on your stomach, your lower back will become strained, because your belly sinks into the bed, adding pressure on your spine. Your neck may also be twisted to one side for a long time, leading to strained neck muscles. Thus, in the morning, you will wake up feeling sore instead of feeling refreshed.

If you continue sleeping with this pattern for quite some time, your stiff neck problems may develop into something more serious, such as herniated disc or radiculopathy. Meanwhile, sleeping on the back may cause brief episodes of sleep apnea and some problems on the lower back as well, which is why professionals recommend sleeping on your side.

Unsuitable pillow

Choosing an appropriate pillow is crucial for a good quality of sleep. You need to make sure that your pillow can support your head and neck properly. A hard pillow might feel a tad uncomfortable, but oftentimes, neck problems are actually caused by a pillow that is too soft. Soft pillows cannot hold your head and neck properly like firm pillows do, creating tension in your neck muscles. When you use a firm pillow to sleep at night, it will help you in keeping your spine straight and aligned—from your atlas (located in the neck) to your tailbone, posing less of a risk to having a stiff neck. Using a feather pillow or pillows made with “memory foam” is recommended because they can conform with the shape of your head and neck, but make sure to change your pillow once they lose their firmness and shape.

Sudden movements

Sudden movements during your sleep, especially when you’re dreaming, such as flinging your limbs, rolling over, tossing and turning may create tension in and sprain your neck muscles.

Now that you know the primary causes of a stiff neck, what should you do when you experience it one morning? Should you just accept it and go on with your day with discomfort and pain? Absolutely not! Here are some simple, easy, and fairly quick ways to deal with a strained neck.

Ice or heat therapy

When you wake up with a stiff neck, put some ice on it for about 20 minutes to limit the swelling and cut down on inflammation. If the pain lingers until the next day, try replacing ice with heat (perhaps by using a warm towel or a heating pad). Put it on your strained neck for 20 minutes as well. Heat is known to relax your muscles and improve blood flow, which may reduce the pain and increase your neck’s range of motion.

Stretching and massage

Massaging the sore area of your neck gently can also help relax the muscles and increase blood flow, gradually improving your flexibility. However, you need to be careful to not overdo it and make it worse. Other than massaging, doing some stretching will help with your stiff neck, too.

Some stretching techniques that you can do:

Touch your right ear to your right shoulder and push the left side of your head gently for 10 seconds. Do the same with your left ear and left shoulder. Repeat these movements for 10 repetitions per side.
Slowly turn your head to the left until you feel a slight stretch (it’s alright if you cannot turn too far due to the strain) while standing with your neck and your back straight. Hold it for 10 seconds, then turn to the right and do the same thing. Repeat for 4-5 times per side. This is to increase your flexibility little by little without causing more pain.
Stand up straight, look up to the ceiling as far as you can, hold it for 10 seconds and come back to the starting position. Next, look down to the ground as far as you can (while still standing straight) and hold it for 10 seconds as well. Do 10 repetitions for each up and down movement.

Another thing that you can do to manage a stiff neck, especially if it’s getting worse, is to visit Hope Clinic and get appropriate treatment. Located in Scottsdale, AZ, you can get non-invasive and non-opioid treatment for your injuries. With an over 93% success rate, Hope Clinic offers excellent treatment procedures that are 100% drug-free!

Using verified hands-on techniques and dual modality devices, our therapists and professionals provide solutions to relieve pain by facilitating your body to maximize its healing and repairing ability. No drugs needed, yet just as effective—if not more. It’s time to say bye-bye to neck pain!

Contact us and book your session through (1) 480 659 5470 or visit https://hopecliniccare.com/contact-us/.

Learn more about stiff neck here:

JAKARTA, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 – Hope Clinic Care, a non-invasive and non-opioid pain management centre located in Scottsdale, Arizona, has officially established its second branch in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, November 12, 2021. This is such a huge milestone for Dr. Okky Oei as the founder, and for the entire Hope Clinic team. The grand opening ceremony of Hope Clinic Indonesia is a realization of the vision that has been planted deep inside our hearts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hope Clinic team decided to limit the guest number who were invited to the grand opening ceremony. Even so, the ceremony was recorded live, allowing more guests, including from Australia and the United States, to join as well.

The grand opening ceremony began with a prayer, followed by a speech by Dr. Okky Oei and his wife, Mrs. Vicki Oei, about how it all started. The idea of establishing Hope Clinic Indonesia emerged in 2020, flowing from Dr. Okky’s strong desire to bring advanced healthcare technology and services to Indonesia. It turned out that Mr. Daud, the head of the Hope Clinic Indonesia team, shared the similar longing with Dr. Okky. Mr. Daud then presented the business plan to the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Los Angeles.

After Mr. Daud and his wife, Dr. Fena, received adequate knowledge about microcurrent technology and completed training from Dr. Okky as Hope Clinic master therapists, they brought all the necessary equipment from the United States to Indonesia. In Indonesia, Mr. Daud worked together with Mr. Aaron and Mr. Fendy to establish the plan by searching for a proper location and starting the renovation process. The Hope Clinic Indonesia team also had an in-depth discussion about the technical, operational, cultural, and relational aspects of the clinic with the Hope Clinic Arizona team.

In September 2021, the Hope Clinic Indonesia team gave their first trial treatment sessions to patients, who gave positive feedback and testimonies. Eventually, Hope Clinic Indonesia was ready to serve more people in October 2021 and held the grand opening ceremony in November 2021.

In his speech, Mr. Daud elaborated on the vision of Hope Clinic Indonesia. “We have a deep desire to improve the healthcare services in Indonesia through advanced technology and serve our brothers and sisters. We want the Indonesian society to have a better life expectancy rate, and to have a long, pain-free life.”

He continued, “The establishment of Hope Clinic Indonesia in Jakarta is the first step to fulfill our mission. We are the first and only clinic in Indonesia to provide non-invasive and non-opioid pain relief treatment using advanced technology and hands-on techniques. We are planning to establish more of Hope Clinic branches throughout the cities and villages of Indonesia, which aligns with our vision. Our dreams do not stop here. That’s why we need your support and prayers.”

Afterwards, the official grand opening was marked through a cutting ribbon ceremony by the representatives of Hope Clinic shareholders: Dr. Okky from the United States, Mr. Fendy from Australia, and Mr. Daud from Indonesia, followed by a virtual tour of the Hope Clinic building led by Mr. Aaron. The Tower of Hope—that was what they called the building—has been renovated and arranged, filled with high quality facilities as well, to give the patients the best treatment experience.

Before the ceremony ended, a patient named Mrs. Martini willingly shared her good experience with Hope Clinic Indonesia. She was one of the patients who received a trial treatment. She shared her story of how she had a back surgery, and her chronic pain resulted from that. “It was really painful. It hurt while I was sitting down, it hurt when I was walking around. My son told me that there’s this new pain management clinic, and he asked if I wanted to try,” Mrs. Martini explained.

“I said yes. I thought it was just another massage therapy, but nope, they were using new technology brought from the United States. During the therapy, it was still painful, but after the first session ended, my back felt much better! So, I agreed to continue the therapy sessions, not only for my back, but for my legs as well. After I’ve done around 4 sessions, my back and legs did not hurt as much anymore. Now, I can walk around and be more active, doing things I previously couldn’t,” she stated.

At Hope Clinic, we are providing non-invasive and non-opioid treatment procedures with a personalized approach, committed to cater to your needs. We are grateful that Hope Clinic has the opportunity to expand from Scottsdale, Arizona to Jakarta, Indonesia. In the future, we wish to be able to broaden our reach to other places as well, bringing hope and healing to the “no hope” chronic pain case.

Usually, when we experience pain, especially the one that gets worse in every passing minute, it’s hard to focus on anything else. You feel paralyzed, unable to do anything, just wishing for it to end. Medicines might help, appointments with physical therapists are beneficial as well, but there is another thing that you can do: visualizing your pain and guided imagery.

Unfamiliar with it? Let us make it clear for you. Essentially, guided imagery uses mind-body connection by tapping into your imagination. It’s a relaxation technique that aims to lower the levels of your stress hormones and increase the cognitive functions of your brain. To do so, you are required to stimulate all of your senses and create an imaginary experience to reconstruct the current experience of pain or fear—this can be done on your own or with the help of a professional, such as a physician, clinician, and a therapist. If you can envision how the pain leaves your body, it will calm your sympathetic nerves and de-escalate your “fight or flight” tendency.

Here’s an example. Perhaps, your knee is in so much pain that you can hardly walk. You can start imagining a reality where your knee is completely fine, and you can walk without any problems. Then, you are going for a hike. You see a beautiful view, hear the birds chirping, smell the fresh, crisp air, and pick some flowers along the way, too. The idea behind this visualization is that doing this will cause you to be immersed in pleasant images and scenarios, redirecting your attention from the pain and giving a sense of comfort. In addition, you may regain strength and hope, believing that you can actually overcome the pain.

Other than helping you relax, guided imagery may help reduce the side effects of any medication you’re under, improve psychological well-being, increase pain tolerance, speed up your healing process, and break the negative association your brain has made with pain. How does this happen? Through the relaxation achieved through guided imagery, chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are released, blocking the signals sent to your brain from the nerves that are responsible to detect pain. Guided visualization is often accompanied with deep breathing, soothing music, and body scan meditations. If you’re not used to it, you can begin the visualization by imagining something simple, something familiar, such as how the rays of sun touch your skin, the way the ocean waves hit the shore, etc.

Another thing you can do is to visualize your pain in shapes and colors. For instance, you may create a mental image of the pain, perhaps imagining it as a big, red ball. Play with it for a while. Afterwards, as you exhale, imagine the ball getting smaller and smaller. Then, think about many different ways to get rid of the red ball. Maybe you crush it with a hammer, maybe it just explodes—whatever comes to your mind.

When you’re finished, you might find yourself feeling slightly better. However, keep in mind that it doesn’t make the pain completely go away. This is just another alternative that can be implemented along with other forms of therapy or medications. Repeating the visualization process is recommended whenever you begin to feel that the pain is unbearable. By doing so, you are learning to manage your pain better, no matter where, no matter when.

Interactively procrastinate high-payoff content without backward-compatible data. Quickly cultivate optimal processes and tactical architectures.

Fret not, although it might sound impossible to control how you sleep, there are some things you can do to minimize awkward sleeping positions! In addition to that, take a look at these main causes for a stiff neck and how to treat one.

Awkward sleeping positions

Unsuitable pillow

Sudden movements

Sudden movements during your sleep, especially when you’re dreaming, such as flinging your limbs, rolling over, tossing and turning may create tension in and sprain your neck muscles.

Now that you know the primary causes of a stiff neck, what should you do when you experience it one morning? Should you just accept it and go on with your day with discomfort and pain? Absolutely not! Here are some simple, easy, and fairly quick ways to deal with a strained neck.

Ice or heat therapy

Stretching and massage

Massaging the sore area of your neck gently can also help relax the muscles and increase blood flow, gradually improving your flexibility. However, you need to be careful to not overdo it and make it worse. Other than massaging, doing some stretching will help with your stiff neck, too.

Some stretching techniques that you can do:

Touch your right ear to your right shoulder and push the left side of your head gently for 10 seconds. Do the same with your left ear and left shoulder. Repeat these movements for 10 repetitions per side.

Stand up straight, look up to the ceiling as far as you can, hold it for 10 seconds and come back to the starting position. Next, look down to the ground as far as you can (while still standing straight) and hold it for 10 seconds as well. Do 10 repetitions for each up and down movement.

Using verified hands-on techniques and dual modality devices, our therapists and professionals provide solutions to relieve pain by facilitating your body to maximize its healing and repairing ability. No drugs needed, yet just as effective—if not more. It’s time to say bye-bye to neck pain!

Contact us and book your session through (1) 480 659 5470 or visit https://hopecliniccare.com/contact-us/.

Learn more about stiff neck here:

https://www.spineuniverse.com/why-do-have-neck-pain-sleeping

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/how-treat-stiff-neck-after-sleeping

https://www.healthline.com/health/neck-pain/waking-up-with-neck-pain

In September 2021, the Hope Clinic Indonesia team gave their first trial treatment sessions to patients, who gave positive feedback and testimonies. Eventually, Hope Clinic Indonesia was ready to serve more people in October 2021 and held the grand opening ceremony in November 2021.