Ice packs, ointments and balms seem to have become best friends of those in their mid-20s and 30s. Young adults in their mid-20s or 30s are experiencing moderate to severe neck or back pain almost every single day. Every 4 out of 5 young adults are found complaining of either neck or back pain. I, myself, have pain-balm applied all around my lower neck and upper back, as I type about our common enemy. So yes! I feel your pain.
Neck and back pain issues are the most irritating as they interfere with and affect our work and day-to-day activities terribly. So, the only thing that’s at our immediate service and provides quick relief are ointments.
Have you ever wondered though, why are we, the people in our mid-20s and 30s facing this health concern? Well, there are multiple reasons. The first one is stress. Although it might seem a vague reason for pain, stress-induced neck or back pain is a real thing. This is exactly why so many people love to take massages once a week to ‘release stress.’ Stress causes the neck and back muscles to tense and spasm causing pain.
Another cause of severe neck pain is smoking. So, it’s time to put that cigarette down. A study released in 2016 has revealed that there is a close connection between smoking and cervical degenerative disc disease that leads to chronic neck pain.
Further, an unhealthy diet is a major cause of rampant neck or back pain. Choosing the wrong or unhealthy foods like sweets, chocolate, pizzas and burgers cause inflammation in the body causing pain. Unhealthy foods also leave out the nutrients found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, that a body requires to keep the muscles, bones and soft tissues, healthy and strong.
Other unhealthy lifestyle choices like having a poor posture, sitting with a haunched back, using wrong or hard bedding materials like cushions and mattresses, working at a desk for long hours, being seated in one place for hours, lifting heavy objects like bags, lack of exercise, wearing heels or uncomfortable footwear, are all major reasons that can trigger back and neck pain.
So what’s really the solution? Yes, ointments and balms are helpful, but they are temporary solutions and at the end of the day chemicals! We need to make correct lifestyle choices.
Ours is a generation that overdoes everything. We overthink, overstress, overwork, oversleep, overeat! That needs to change. We need to stop being overdoers. Generations prior to us hardly complained about body aches. They lived a simple life. They lived a life of balance, where everything was done in moderation. We too must strive to find a balance in life. It will help us do away with such minor irritants that plague our days unnecessarily.
