disease
Muscle pain: definition, causes and symptoms
The list of causes of muscle pain is long: unilateral stress, malposition, over-exertion, stress or grief increase muscle tone. If the tension of the muscle pain is not broken down again, the body reacts with pain. Particularly vulnerable areas are the neck and the lumbar region. The neck is because we spend most of our time sitting in the office and tensed up in concentration. On the other hand, because we change our eye and head movements in the course of life. According to the latest findings of a Weimar research team, there is a direct correlation between neck pain and head and eye movement. This control mechanism is referred to in English as a head-eye mover (translated: head-eye mover). As a child, all people are head movers because they actively turn their heads in the direction they are looking. Later, many mutate into the eye mover. They move their heads less, but their eyes more and more. Nevertheless, the body continues to send signals to the neck muscles. As a result, a painful tension builds up over time. In the lumbar region a longer immobilization, for example by sitting, leads to an increased muscle tension, which leads to an irritation of the nerves and thus to pain.
Muscle pain : treatment
First and foremost, you should look after acute muscle pain. Immediate help: Cold, for example, with quark wrap: stir lean quark out of the refrigerator with a little olive oil until smooth and apply it to the painful area. Put on a woolen cloth or a thick cotton cloth and leave on for 20 minutes. If necessary, several times a day. Also helpful: Wrap an ice pack in a cloth and place it on the painful area. Important: Never place the ice pack directly on the skin! Heat usually helps better with chronic pain, especially with frequent pains.
Especially soothing is a warm bath, preferably with herbal supplements, but the bath should not exceed 15 minutes. The water should be about body temperature, just not too hot. Also sauna sessions relieve muscle pain. Also good are envelopes with hot water, even a hot water bottle acts deep in the tissue. At night, an electric blanket is handy. Support offer anti-inflammatory, analgesic iridoid glycosides from devil's claw (extracts, for example, as tablets, pharmacy). Coconut oil acids and silica from nettles can also help.
Muscle pain : prevention and self-help
7 Tips for Preventing Muscle Aches :
- 1. Anatomically shaped neck support pillows are ideal for side sleepers. A great complement to this is a mattress with shoulder comfort zone. For back sleepers, a less tall pillow is better for the thoracic spine to lie flat.
- 2. In winter you should wear a warm scarf. Because when it's cold outside, we pull up the shoulders involuntarily, so that the wind does not drive into the collar. This tenses the neck.
- 3. When cycling, the handlebar should be adjusted so that you sit as upright as possible. So the neck muscles remain loose.
- 4. Good exercise for the cervical spine : You put a few books on your head and run around in the room. Then roll the head back and forth over the side several times.
- 5. Learn relaxation exercises to relieve stress. For example, the muscle relaxation according to Jacobson. Courses offer community colleges. The technique can also be learned by books.
- 6. Make sure that the workplace is ergonomically designed. This includes a good chair, the "right" desk height and a screen that stands right in front of you.
- 7. At work, take short breaks and install small movements in the office routine. For example, you can put your water bottle aside to get up to reach it. Even standing up to phone is helpful.
