Pain in the neck

As a massage therapist the most common thing people say to me is "I have this pain right here in my neck and shoulders, it’s where I carry my tension". Almost every client says this, regardless of why they came to get a massage. The reason for this is that we all have this issue at one time or another, we all spend too much time on the computer, drive cars, sleep on our sides, or do countless other activities that keep our shoulder’s rolled forward. This constant rolling forward of the shoulders is the culprit, that causes our "pain in the neck".

The co-conspirator with rolled in shoulders in this type of pain, is head forward posture. When the head and the shoulders are forward, we have pain between the shoulder blades, up the neck, at the base of the skull, and often radiating pain to the temples.

So, you may ask, what are you going to do to make me feel better? Oddly enough, we are going to massage the front of your neck and your chest. In the massage field we have a saying, "don’t chase the Pain". Our instinct is to rub where we hurt, and we will do that, but what our body needs, is to be rubbed opposite of where we hurt. Shortening of our anterior, or front side neck muscles, and shorting of our pectoral, or chest muscles, is what stretches the back of our shoulders and neck. So, in order to relieve your pain, we need to massage the front to allow the back to go back to its natural position, and thus relieving the pain.

So if you want to get rid or your "pain in the neck" come get a massage! We have a great staff of massage therapist trained to analyze your posture and pain patterns, to determine the best massage treatment to help you.

Stay tuned for more info on how massage can reduce stress and relieve pain.

Arnold O’Neal, L.M.T.