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Feeling neck and back pain lately? Here's what chiropractors say you can do

Two central Ohio chiropractors offered some easy tips to help relief some of your pain.

For many some central Ohio chiropractors, their patient list is continuing to grow, especially this year. Two doctors told 10TV, they feel the pandemic may have played a role in this because people got used to not moving around as much.

Joshua Eversman, a doctor at Eversman Chiropractic in Columbus, recommends scheduling an appointment with a chiropractor when they are comfortable.

However, there are some tricks a person can do at home to help relieve some of the pain until they make the decision to go see a professional.

Dr. Eversman suggests using an ice pack for no longer than 20 minutes on and then an hour off, on the spot that is causing pain. He also recommends stretching to loosen up tight muscles and try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Dr. Bryan Schuetz with Capital City Chiropractic in Worthington says he is also getting a lot of new patients coming in experiencing neck and back pain.

His advice is to stretch by pulling your head to each side, which will then stretch the neck. A person can also use their hand in a prayer formation, pushing up on the neck, resulting in them looking up and stretching the back of the neck. Do each of these for 10 to 15 seconds.

Another stretching technique that Dr. Schuetz recommends, is for a person to straighten out their legs in a “V” shape, stretching the hamstrings.

As for working from home in a proper formation, if a person wants to sit on the couch with their laptop, make sure a pillow is underneath, making the laptop eye level.

Besides sitting on the couch with a big pillow, sitting correctly at a dining room table or at an office desk, is important to pay attention to.

“A good office chair really helps, but if you can’t get an office chair, you want to have your back straight up against the chair and you want to put a phone book or piece of wood or something under your feet to elevate your feet slightly,” Dr. Schuetz said.

It’s also a good idea to take a few books or a sturdy item to put up a laptop or monitor if it’s on the desk, that way they are eye level.

Dr. Schuetz reiterated that seeking professional help is important if the pain prolongs or gets worse, there may be more to the pain than just needing a good stretch.

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