The potato trick to help get rid of neck pain and migraines
An expert has revealed an unlikely item that serves to relieve neck pain and migraines.
Those dealing with neck stiffness could use humble potatoes to treat themselves, said Stephen Makinde, the clinical director of Perfect Balance Clinic in London.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of clients with neck problems and migraines associated with neck stiffness since the start of the coronavirus lockdown,” Makinde told the Daily Star.
The problem could be attributed to increased use of electronic devices during the pandemic, which affects the upper back, he said.
“If you are looking down, which you do when working on a laptop, what tends to happen is the head starts to hang forward and that puts a lot of strain on the upper back,” he said.
“This can often cause a burning sensation in the trapezius muscles and affects other muscles in the neck, the spine and the nerves.”
Makinde said lying down with tennis balls placed underneath the back of the head can help loosen muscles, release tension and help “reset the neck position”.
“Tennis balls are really useful for this, but most people don’t have tennis balls at home,” he said.
“So baking potatoes work well, too. You just sellotape them together and lie down flat, with the potatoes placed underneath the back of your head.
“This is a really easy and useful thing people can do at home to release their neck tension and the pressure around there themselves.”
In an interview with Sunrise, Australian Chiropractors Association President Dr Anthony Coxon also recommended getting up and moving every half an hour as well as increasing the height of the screens we are using.