| Lately I've seen patients with a lot of muscle tension in | | | | tingling in hands and/or fingertips.oBurning sensations in |
| their neck and shoulders. Their shoulders are hunched | | | | the muscles of the upper arms.oWeakness lifting the |
| up under their ears, and their necks so stiff they can | | | | arms, and/or dropping objects.oHeadaches and/or |
| barely move them. Severe neck and shoulder stiffness | | | | constant tenderness in the occipital muscles, that band |
| and pain may require physical therapy to alleviate | | | | of muscles at the base of your head that extends |
| symptoms, but I'd like to share with you the things you | | | | from ear to ear. |
| can do to both prevent and alleviate neck and | | | | A Simple Exercise To Relieve Tightness |
| shoulder pain. | | | | Below is a simple stretching exercise you can do a |
| Causes of Neck and Shoulder Pain | | | | few times a day while working to relax neck and |
| My patients are surprised when I tell them that most | | | | shoulder muscles:oBend head forward, chin on chest, |
| neck and shoulder stress/pain is caused by structural | | | | then back to original position.oHead forward, bend your |
| stress, simple things we do everyday that can cause | | | | head to the right, then back to original position; bend to |
| neck and shoulder pain:o Bad posture - Sitting, or | | | | the left, then back to original position.oBend head slightly |
| standing, with poor posture, or slouching, causes your | | | | backward, then to the original position.oBend head |
| head to tilt forward putting continual torque on neck | | | | forward, chin to chest, tilt head to the right, then to the |
| and shoulder muscles to prevent your head from | | | | left. |
| sliding forward.o Raising the shoulder muscles - In our | | | | Other Things You Can Do |
| daily routine, we continuously, usually unknowingly, raise | | | | Simple, common sense will help keep your neck and |
| the levator scapulae, the major muscles of the | | | | shoulder muscles healthy:oObserve correct |
| shoulders. This creates tension of the neck and base | | | | workspace ergonomics for your job. Adjust chair and |
| of skull muscles. We do this in a few ways: | | | | keyboard height. Use a headset or speakerphone to |
| 1. Typing at a keyboard that is too high - and/or resting | | | | avoid phone cradling.oObserve good overhead |
| your elbows on arm rests of a too low chair while you | | | | mechanics. Take frequent stretching breaks to relax |
| work at a desk causes your shoulders to ride up. | | | | the neck and shoulder muscles. Practice correct lifting |
| Spend 8 hours everyday, 5 days a week doing this | | | | of heavy items. Most of us don't have forklifts at |
| and you can cause pain in your neck and shoulders. | | | | home or in our offices, so break down heavy boxes |
| 2. Cradling a phone between your ear and shoulder - | | | | into more manageable sizes.oDo aerobic exercise like |
| many of us do this several times a day if our jobs | | | | walking, running, rebounding, to reduce tension.oDrink |
| require talking on the phone. | | | | water. Muscles and joints need adequate water to |
| 3. Doing overhead work that causes you to lift your | | | | function properly. At least eight, 8 oz glasses per day, |
| arms above your head for long periods of time, like | | | | or more depending on your weight, environment (very |
| painting ceilings, lifting heavy boxes to high shelves, etc. | | | | cold, very hot needs more) and activity.oGet a |
| 4. A constant state of anxiety brought on by chronic | | | | massage - acupressure massage done by a |
| stress. This causes us to literally "get our back up", | | | | professional practitioner can work wonders on tight |
| raising and holding our shoulders in a kind of | | | | neck and shoulder muscles, relieving pain.oA warm |
| self-protective posture, much like an animal will arch | | | | bath in Epsom salts will help remove lactic acid build up |
| their back, and put their head down perceiving an | | | | in stiff and sore muscles that can cause pain. An |
| attack. | | | | analgesic cream containing menthol can help relax tight |
| Warning Symptoms of Chronic Neck and Shoulder | | | | muscles further.oCalcium and magnesium supplements |
| Pain | | | | can also help relieve tension and pain in tight muscles. |
| Most of us are familiar with that general uncomfortable | | | | Even though you might not be able to remove stress |
| feeling like a tight band is around our neck and | | | | from your life, or completely avoid physical maneuvers |
| shoulders and perhaps some very sore trigger points, | | | | that strain your neck and shoulder muscles, you can |
| areas that when touched makes us wince. In addition, | | | | remove, or greatly alleviate, the tension in your neck |
| we might not be able to move our head to either side | | | | and shoulders that can develop. Adhering to good |
| without causing pain in our necks and shoulders. | | | | neck and shoulder habits, and spending a few minutes |
| However, with poor repetitive structural habits, you | | | | each day doing simple stretching exercises can help |
| could have symptoms of compressed nerves in your | | | | you manage muscle tension so it doesn't continue to |
| cervical spine that require a doctor:oNumbness or | | | | be a serious pain in your neck. |