Maintain Joint Mobility-Movement is Life

Recently, I have been struggling with neck and shoulder pain. I work out at a local gym 3 times a week in order to maintain my muscle mass because I am 66 years old and I refuse to watch passively as my muscles atrophy.

The problem I encountered is that my neck and shoulder muscles got extremely tight. My neck got stiff and turning my head became painful. Part of this was caused by my muscles tightening up and not releasing as they should. An additional problem is that the joints in my neck have become less flexible as I age. My neck joints feel stiff, so I constantly find myself craning or stretching my neck, trying to get it to release. My neck cracks and pops, but the constant tension causes the muscles in my neck and shoulder to tighten and this causes pain and headaches.

There are of course topical pain relief products such as Tiger Balm, Icy Hot and Bio-Freeze. I tried all of these products as well as over the counter analgesics like Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, and Naproxen Sodium. All of these products have their place and do provide temporary relief, but as soon as they wear off, the pain and stiffness return.

I have discovered a better two pronged approach that gives me complete relief. First, it is important to get those neck and shoulder muscles to relax. I do this two ways. One is to gently massage my neck and shoulders using the Pharmanex Renu Spa. This is a device that uses self adjusting micro current to relax the muscles. This has been a big help. You can see an article I wrote about the Renu Spa in another post on this website. There are also exercises you can do to massage, stretch and release your neck muscles. I found this Neck Stretches Video on YouTube. These exercises really helped me. https://youtu.be/6Z7IHDIHA3s

I have also found that quality supplements can help. I started off taking a combination Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Turmeric supplement that I found on Amazon. The ingredients are all good, but it comes in tablet form and does not dissolve well. This means that while the tablet has beneficial ingredients, they are not absorbed by your body and they don't do you much good.

I found better option when I started taking Pharmanex Cartilage Formula. What makes this product different is that it is in a quick dissolving and easily absorbable form. It includes a unique blend of vegetable sourced glucosamine, vitamins, minerals and bioflavonoids to support joints and cartilage. If you would like to try it, here is a link to purchase

Cartilage Formula

Within two days of taking this product, the joints in my neck loosened up and the popping and creaking stopped. I had been feeling like an old man, but now I can turn my neck freely with no pain and no grinding or creaking. I whole heartedly recommend this product if you are dealing with stiff or creaky joints.