‘What we have here is low back pain that has traveled north,’ said a doctor to a warehouse foreman who couldn’t move his neck without feeling severe pain.

There may be some truth in what you say,’ replied the foreman, who had never suffered low back pain. ‘But what should I do about it?’

‘A good question,’ the doctor said, reaching for his prescription pad.

It is a good question. The answer, believe it or not, has almost nothing to do with viewing neck pain as a bad back problem that just happened to land higher up on the spine.

There are similarities, of course, between neck pain and low back pain. But mostly there are differences – major differences in self-help therapies (including the kinds of exercises to do), in practitioner effectiveness, and in the success rates of a wide variety of neck pain treatments.

Pretty much everybody has had neck pain at one time or another: a stiff neck when they woke up, a painful neck after painting a ceiling, a ‘crook’ in the neck after holding the telephone in an awkward position during a long conversation.

About one-third of people who suffer with chronic neck injured their necks in accidents. And they usually suffered years of pain before learning how to improve their conditions.

‘My problems stem from a minor car accident at which time I was rear-ended while stationary in my vehicle,’ a human resources director reported. What happened to her reflects the experiences of many people with neck pain: ‘I felt fine at first, but the next morning I could barely move my neck.’ After trying manipulation, physical therapy, prescription drugs and acupuncture, and after ‘a period of being totally immobile due to the most excruciating pain I have ever felt,’ she finally found the support and neck pain treatment she needed.

A construction worker’s injury also typifies the traumatic origins of most neck pain. ‘I was hurt on a construction job and was in the hospital forty-one days,’ the worker wrote. ‘I saw many doctors. Most had different opinions on the extent of damage done to my back. All I know is that I have suffered severe pain.’

In a recent international survey of back and neck pain sufferers, almost one-third of survey participants attributed the onset of neck pain to emotional stress. For example, a television personality suffered neck pain while two members of her immediate family were gravely ill. A teacher linked her neck pain to working with highly disturbed and disabled children. An executive experienced severe neck pain while going through a painful divorce.

The remaining survey participants just ‘found’ themselves with neck pain one day. Some had had the pain for years, but at a nuisance level. Others found that it seemingly struck full blown out of the blue.

‘I woke one morning and, for no apparent reason, could not raise my head or move it from left to right,’ said a family therapist. Other participants who echoed her words endured pain for months or years before obtaining neck pain relief.

Sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time is a sure shot recipe for developing back and neck pain. However, if a chair such as your office chair is adjustable, then it may reduce neck and back pain that you could otherwise suffer from.

Back pain from sitting could result from several reasons. For instance, sitting in a chair or stools e.g. hospital stools, for long periods can lead to a buildup of stress on our shoulders, neck, back, arms, legs, and back muscles. In addition, most people tend to slouch while sitting, and a bad posture may make it more likely for pain to develop.

How adjustable chairs could remedy the situation.

Some time back a study published in the medical publication Spine, concluded that adjustable-height chairs that had ergonomically curved seats, had the potential to significantly reduce neck and shoulder pain in garment workplaces. (Spine, Apr 2007)

Garment workers seem to be an apt group for studying the back pain phenomenon because their work entails being seated in a position for seven to ten hours every single day. And not only do they have to work with cloth requiring fine-motor tasks while sewing, but they also have to lean forward and hold their arms and shoulders up.

Based on the results of the study the participants who were provided with an adjustable chairs had experienced a reduction in pain between 0.14 – 0.34 points on a 0-5 scale every month compared to a control group, over a four-month period.

So if adjustable chairs could work for garment workers, whose jobs are extremely physically demanding, then definitely, customizable chairs should benefit many of us who have to sit in our chairs for long hours.

Today I am going to give you a few meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Yes, you can even have dessert with an anti-inflammatory diet. You will have to make a choice regarding foods, will they be pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory foods? If you do not have symptoms and feel wonderful, you need to decide if you want the risk of regularly consuming pro-inflammatory foods that are known to cause significant health problems and diseases. If you do suffer from arthritis, back pain, neck pain, heart disease, and high blood pressure to name a few, you may wish to see if pro-inflammatory foods are a cause. Commit to discovering how your your health is influenced by the consumption of pro-inflammatory foods. Commit for at least 1 month to a “deflaming”. Within a week to a month you are likely to feel a difference and know for sure how food affects your health. If you very inflamed you may need 2-3 months.

Meal Suggestions:

Breakfast:

1. Omega-3 eggs are your best choice. Scrambled with vegetables or made into an omelet. It is best to use organic virgin coconut oil for cooking eggs and potatoes, olive oil is the next best option.
2. If you wish to have oatmeal or grits, add a couple of tablespoons of ground up raisins or berries and use a little organic heavy cream.
3. Meal shake with your favorite fruit such as banana, blueberries, etc.. egg white or other low sugar protein powder. Other additions can be coconut with raw nuts. Make sure to use water for blending.

Lunch & Dinner

1. Chicken, fish or steak, Caesar or garden salad without croutons is a meal with appropriate portions of vegetables and proteins. This meal can be changed many different ways for variety.
2. Italian marinara sauce with raw, chopped vegetables instead of pasta noodles.
3. When you feel like you have room for dessert, eat more vegetables or wait to see you are indeed still hungry.
4. Soups with healthy broths, stocked with vegetables & healthy meats instead of pasta noodles and rice.

Desserts

1. 1-2 tablespoons of organic heavy cream over frozen cherries, blueberries or other fruit.
2. 1-2 tablespoons of organic heavy cream over a combination of dried coconut, dates, raisins, and raw nuts.
3. Dark chocolate, raisins along with raw almonds, or other recommended nuts.
4. Simple fruits alone or fresh fruit salads.
5. Recommended nuts with organic yogurt, dark chocolate shavings.
6. Fruit shake blends frozen into Popsicle sticks for the kids.

These are some easy meal suggestions that promote an anti-inflammatory diet and hep reduce inflammation and pain in your body.