A right pain in the neck

Hey guys 

About a month ago my personal training sessions came to an end and I was feeling fitter than ever.

Being at the ripe old age of 33, keeping fit is a must really – especially with me having such a manual, physically draining job – I need to be in top physical condition to be able to put the hours of hard graft in that I do.

But because I work for such an amazing company – it really is great – they also pay for me a gym membership at my local gym, which is conveniently located next door to our head office. 

Obviously the bosses know that keeping their engineers as fit as possible makes the standard of work we put out a lot higher and also keeps a happy workforce.

Win – win all round

But that’s not all – with us being in the middle of the six week holiday period right now it means just one thing for me…the start of pre-season rugby training.

And let me tell you, it isn’t an easy thing to take part in trust me – I mean there are even hill sprints involved – whats all that about?!

I struggle to sprint on flat ground never mind up a hill

So we have the gym 3 to 4 times a week and rugby twice a week, all of that is certainly going to take it’s toll on my body at some point – and let me tell you, it really does hurt.

To help my body recover I drink protein shakes twice a day when I train and find that they really do help although they don’t do a thing for all of the bumps and knocks my neck and shoulders take.

Being a rugby player for so many years combined with the occasional stint with other physical sports hasn’t been all too easy for me – I think I’ve always had  a few problems with my back and neck ans I regularly use a hot water bottle for bed to try and ease the pain a little bit.

But I can’t really get away with walking around during the day, hot water bottle strapped to my neck can I (that’s not to say I haven’t tried it…) so this is where my main problems are – particularly when I’m working. is when I’m at work and my neck is feeling a bit sore I suffer the most.

So what was solution?

Well for me I found that Nuronfen Express Heat Patches work a treat.

These products are great for muscular pain and I have found that they really do help to soothe my muscles after a work out or a tough rugby session.

The patches contain natural minerals which, when exposed to air, provide up to 8 hours of therapeutic heat making them perfect for me when I’m out at work.

The patches specifically target

* Backache
* Muscle pain
* Neck and shoulder pain

And all without any need for medicines.

The patches are designed to help in two ways –

* they increase the blood flow to the painful areas
* they relax tight, sore muscles

I found these patches really easy to use – just make sure the sore/painful area is clean and dry first then simply remove the protective film and apply it to the area in need of relief.

After 5 minutes or so the patch should begin to warm up and will reach its effective temperature after around 15 minutes.

So how did I get on?

The main area causing me problems was the lower part of my neck and this is the place I used the patch.

I just followed the instructions with no issues at all – but also, don’t worry if you stick the patch on the wrong area – they comes off really easily and still stick back on when re-applied, and then I sat back and waited for the magic to happen.

After 5 minutes it did start to warm up and just as the instructions said, after 15 minutes it was kicking out a nice bit of heat, but nothing uncomfortable in the slightest – there is no burning sensation at all.

I have to admit that I felt a little bit strange with it on my neck, but not too bad – it was worth it anyway.

If you’re thinking that this is some sort of instant pain relief then you’re wrong, it took a good hour for me to notice any difference in my pain levels, and then about 2 to 3 hours before I noticed a good standard of relief.

Despite this though, I was still quite impressed, and in fairness the heat did last a good 7ish hours and  it did soothe me and got me all ready for a good nights sleep, which I got but, however when I woke up, the pain was back again.

Story of my life.

So now for the real test began – how would it help me get through a day at work?

So before I set off I used the second patch in the packet and stuck it in the same place, then off I went.

The patch did a great job with pain relief but it kept falling off which was annoying but I put it down to the fact that I have a very active, physical job and am always up and down ladders, kneeling down, fixing stuff – I have to get in some right old positions sometimes, so I’m not surprised it didn’t stay put all day really.

I did think about getting out the electrical tape at one point but I couldn’t do it and make myself look that silly now could I…

Well, yes i could actually – I tried it, and yes I did look very stupid indeed so it didn’t last long.

 But for sitting still in the van on a long drive – the patches proved to be perfect.

I would definitely recommend them to anyone who suffers with neck and back pain as I do but I would say to use them when you aren’t going to be very active, they are much more suited to the sit down and relax moments.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and it has helped you a little bit

CARL

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I was sent the products to review but all photos and opinions are my own