According to the National Institute of Health, coughing is a common health problem that affects over 30 million people annually. However, in most situations, coughing will go away without medication.
Unfortunately, there are cases where a cough can cause serious issues, such as neck strain. A pulled muscle in neck from coughing can cause a lot of pain that persists even after the cough goes away. So, how can you deal with it? Below are tips on how to handle a neck strain caused by coughing.
Have the Cough Addressed First
If you have a pulled muscle in neck from coughing, any movement, such as sneezing and coughing, can exacerbate the pain and discomfort you’re experiencing. Unfortunately, it can also aggravate the strained muscle, causing a severe neck injury. Therefore, you must address the cough and its underlying cause before dealing with your neck strain.
Fortunately, several treatment options can help get your cough under control. One option is home remedies for coughing, such as hot fluids, ginger, honey, inhaling stream, gargling saltwater, etc. These remedies are ideal if your cough is not severe and can also help to treat underlying causes such as colds, flu, and allergies.
However, you should see a doctor if you’ve got a persistent cough that lasts over a few days. Medical treatment is especially vital if you’re experiencing severe symptoms such as shortness of breath, high fever, blood when coughing, etc. Depending on the underlying cause, your doctor will offer pain medication, antibiotics, antiallergens, cough suppressants, and other treatments.
While seeking treatment for your cough, you should also know that some medications can be addictive. For example, according to the American University of Rochester, some cough suppressants can be addictive when misused. Additionally, prescription painkillers can lead to addiction, especially if they contain opioids. Therefore, you should be wary about the drugs you are taking and seek help at an addiction treatment facility if you develop a drug reliance problem.
Limit Inflammatory Substances
If you’ve got a pulled muscle in neck from coughing, your focus should be a fast recovery. Therefore, you should take great care to avoid substances that can worsen your stained neck muscle. Additionally, you should limit or avoid anything that can worsen your cough or its underlying cause – as this can further intensify the pain and discomfort from the muscle injury.
So, one of the things you’ll want to avoid after pulling a muscle when coughing is alcohol. Alcohol can cause inflammation and dehydration in the airways, worsening your cough and underlying causes such as respiratory infections. According to the National Institute of Health, consuming alcohol can also affect your immune system, leading to slow recovery from illnesses.
Besides inflaming your cough, consuming alcohol can also aggravate your neck strain. The inflammatory properties from acholic drinks can make the muscle injury more severe and intensify the pain and discomfort experienced.
Additionally, consuming alcohol can slow down the recovery from the pulled muscle. Therefore, you need to limit or avoid alcohol until you’re well. You should also consider seeking help from an alcohol treatment center if you’re an alcoholic, as this could make your recovery more complex.
Besides alcohol, you should also avoid other inflammatory substances if you’re suffering from a pulled muscle in the neck from coughing. For example, smoking cigarettes can aggravate your cough and neck strain. Additionally, substances such as marijuana (smoking), vaping, and sugary drinks can intensify your cough, consequently leading to more pain and discomfort.
Research Your Risks
In most cases, a pulled muscle in neck from coughing will be easy to treat, and it can even resolve itself without medical intervention. However, it could be a sign of another problem in your body. And sometimes, the neck strain can intensify into a severe injury, which could significantly impact your health and well-being. Therefore, it’s a good idea to research possible risks due to the pulled neck muscle.
One of the possible risks you should consider is that your pulled neck muscle could be a symptom of an unknown medical condition. For example, according to Spine Health, problems in the spine and other parts of the body can lead to discomfort and pain in the neck. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that such a problem existed but was intensified by coughing.
Neck pain and discomfort could also emanate from a problem in an unrelated body part. For example, a pinched nerve or even a circulation issue with your veins and arteries can cause neck strain, which can be exacerbated by coughing. Therefore, it might be a good idea to look into something like peripheral artery disease treatment, regardless of how rare it might be.
Lastly, you should consider the risk of your pulled neck muscle developing into a more severe injury. First, the muscle strain can take longer than expected to heal, during which time you can be in quite a bit of pain and discomfort. Secondly, if not appropriately treated, it can become a severe neck injury that could be hard and expensive to resolve.
Go to a Spa
Visiting a spa is another excellent way to deal with a pulled muscle in neck from coughing. First, spa treatments can help relieve the pain and discomfort in your neck. Secondly, some treatments can help alleviate the cough symptoms – or the underlying cause. Finally, a spa visit can help you relax and improve your mood, which is great for your recovery.
A facial treatment is one of the top spa services you should consider when dealing with a pulled neck muscle and a cough. The therapy can help to alleviate pain and discomfort in your face, jaws, neck, and chest area, which can help with a pulled neck muscle. Additionally, it can open up your airways and relax your body, which can lessen the severity of your cough – ensuring you don’t aggravate your strained muscle.
Steam rooms are another excellent idea if you’re suffering from a pulled muscle in neck from coughing. Visiting a steam room can offer many health benefits, such as improved blood circulation and clearing up congestion, which can help with your cough and respiratory problems. Steam rooms also aid in muscle recovery, which can help your pulled neck muscle heal faster.
When visiting a spa, you can also get hyrdafacial treatment that can leave your skin glowing and relaxed. The therapy is also offered for the neck and chest areas. Therefore, it can be an excellent way to relieve the tension in your neck, aiding in the recovery of the strained muscle. Other spa treatments that can be just as useful include deep tissue massage, jet baths, salt baths, essential oils, etc.
Ask for Help if Mobility Is a Concern
A pulled muscle in neck from coughing can cause pain and discomfort, which can disappear over time. However, in some situations, the muscle strain may be severe to the extent that it affects your mobility. Therefore, besides dealing with the cough and neck pain, you should also be concerned about your mobility.
One of the top ways a pulled neck muscle can affect you is by making your neck stiff, making any head movements painful and uncomfortable. This can make it hard to perform daily tasks such as lifting things, standing, moving, running, etc. Therefore, you should consider getting assistance with activities of daily living if you’re having trouble moving about.
Besides mobility, a pulled neck muscle can affect other areas of your life. For example, it can make you unable to perform your job. It can also affect your sleep and leave you in constant pain and discomfort. In addition, neck pain can also lead to depression and anxiety. This, combined with the loss of mobility, can significantly affect your mental well-being.
Therefore, it’s also good to consider seeking mental support when dealing with a severe neck strain from coughing. The support can help improve your mental well-being and aid in faster recovery.
Take it Easy Playing With Kids or Animals
Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid mobility issues, neck pain can still make it difficult to perform specific tasks. Additionally, too much movement can intensify the pain, discomfort, or worse, the severity of the injury. Therefore, one of the top ways to deal with a pulled muscle in neck from coughing is to take it easy and allow yourself time to heal.
Playing with children is one of the things you’ll want to avoid when dealing with a pulled neck muscle. Additionally, lifting or carrying can further strain the neck, aggravating the injury. Therefore, you should avoid these and other activities with children, which can worsen your neck injury. You should also consider braces treatment to offer your neck additional support and prevent further injuries when dealing with kids.
Likewise, you should avoid playing with pets when you have a pulled muscle from coughing. According to the CDC, playing with pets such as cats and dogs can increase your risk of fall-related injuries. While these are usually not an issue under normal circumstances, they can aggravate your pulled muscle, causing severe neck injury.
Your neck strain can also be made worse by running around or an impact from pets when they jump on you. Therefore, you should take it easy when dealing with your pet until you recover. Additionally, you should consider handing them to a family member, friend, neighbor, or even an animal treatment facility where they can receive proper care until you recover.
See a Professional
If you’ve got a pulled muscle in neck from coughing, you can try various home remedies to treat your cough and muscle strain. It’s also possible for the problem to resolve itself after a few days if it’s not very severe. However, this doesn’t always work, making it necessary to seek assistance from a medical professional.
One of the top professionals you should see is a physician. They can offer various solutions to neck pain, such as pain medication. They can also treat the cough it if is persistent. A physician can also diagnose the underlying condition causing the cough or neck pain and could also spot other medical issues you may have during the process.
Visiting a chiropractor is another excellent way to deal with a pulled muscle in the neck. Chiropractors offer soft tissue adjustment and massage therapy, which are effective in treating muscle tension and neck pain. They can also provide chiropractic adjustments to treat underlying neck and spinal issues that could be causing or aggravating the pulled muscle.
You should also consider visiting other professionals who can help treat your neck problem. For example, an orthopedic surgeon can offer surgery to treat a pulled neck muscle that results in a severe injury. You can also seek assistance from a physical therapist to help relieve the pain and tension in your neck and restore mobility.
Let Someone Know if Your Vision Is Affected
Besides causing you pain and discomfort, a pulled muscle in neck from coughing can cause several other medical issues. For example, neck issues can also cause problems in other body parts, such as the eyes. Therefore, you should also look into eye doctors if experiencing unusual vision issues.
Eye strain is one way a pulled muscle can cause vision problems. According to Optometrists Network, tension from neck muscles can press on eye nerves located in the neck region, leading to eye strain. In addition, a pulled neck muscle can also obstruct cerebrospinal fluid. This can lead to many vision issues, such as double vision, blind spots, difficulty focusing your eyes, and light sensitivity.
Severe and untreated neck issues can also cause serious eye diseases. For example, injuries that affect the optic nerve, increase intracranial pressure, and obstruct blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid can cause eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and optic hypertension. Therefore, a pulled neck muscle can also lead to blindness if you don’t get proper treatment for the neck and any arising eye issues.
However, neck issues can also cause pain in other body parts, such as teeth. Given how close the neck is to your mouth, a muscle strain can also trigger pain in your teeth, especially if you have underlying dental issues. Therefore, you should also consider visiting a dentist.
A neck strain can be a severe problem that causes pain and discomfort and disrupts your daily life. It can also develop into a severe injury and lead to medical issues in other parts of your body. Therefore, you need to take it seriously and have it treated immediately. If you have a pulled muscle in neck from coughing, the above tips can help you deal with your neck strain, the cough causing it, and any other issues that crop up.
