In an earlier post, we talked about how air ambulance workers can achieve better physical and mental health through yoga. Now we’re going to talk about a common problem that many medical flight crew members face – neck pain. When you’re working in an air ambulance, you have to limited space to work in. And you have to sit in a confined space for long periods of time. This is likely to cause neck pain, which can be stressful and unbearable.
Home Remedies for Neck Pain
Severe neck pain usually needs treatment by a medical professional. But in case of mild yet constant neck pain, you can try using some home remedies to relieve it. During the first few days, you’ll need to apply ice on the area affected. And then follow that up with heat application. You can either use a heating pad or a hot compress or even take a hot shower.
Even if you can’t take a few days off from your medical flight duty, try avoiding strenuous activities that could aggravate the symptoms. When you have the chance, try exercising your neck with slow stretches. You can also take over-the-counter pain relievers that normally work for you.
Preventing Neck Pain in Medical Flight Workers
Once your neck pain is healed, the best thing to do is to follow methods to prevent the pain from resurfacing. This would include using good posture and frequently changing your position. However, it might be difficult to move around while you’re in an air ambulance. If you have to sit still mid-flight, try doing some neck exercises as mentioned earlier.
In other words, you need to avoid straining your neck muscles too much. You should also try strengthening your muscles through regular exercise.
