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How To Relieve A Stiff Pain In The Neck

Published: 25 June 2013
Written by Leah
2 Comments
Categories: Blog

Neck pain can be oh so aggravating. It can come on in a flash, get worse over time, and have the potential to drastically decrease the movement of your head. Not fun when you have to look over your shoulder to check your blind spot.

So, I’m here to give you some important information on the most common trigger points that cause neck pain. What causes them, and how you can treat them to relieve neck pain.

Levator Scapulae trigger points: Ouch, I can’t turn my head

This muscle attaches to your cervical spine (your neck) and the top of your scapula (shoulder blade). Trigger points in levator scapulae can make it quite painful to turn or tilt your head to one side.

levator scapulae trigger point
An X shows a trigger point, and the red is the pain area

It’s name would suggest that it elevates the scapulae, which is what it’s supposed to do. Unfortunately, for a lot of the population here in the US, this muscle has been recruited to hold our forward heads back, much like a bridle to a horse. If we didn’t have muscles doing that, our heads would continue to be pulled more forward and down by gravity.

Because levator scapulae is not meant to be the head-holder-upper, it gets overloaded and develops trigger points, which in turn cause pain.

Now, the main culprit is not levator scapulae. It is the forward head posture, exacerbated by tightness in the front of the neck (from years of poor posture). So you can press on the trigger point as much as you want, but until you release the front of your neck, and start sitting with your spine stacked, head floating up not forward, then you will continue to get neck pain.

What you can do to relieve the pain

To find some immediate pain relief if you’re experiencing this neck pain, search around with your fingers of the opposite arm and find a tender, intense spot. Apply pressure there (sometime letting go for a second) for about 2 mins or until the pain starts to dissipate. Then find another point and repeat.
sitting posture
You really know you’re on the right point when you feel the referral/radiating sensation that causes your neck pain. A theracane or a trigger point massage therapist, like our therapists here in salt lake, also help to relieve the immediate pain.

To fully alleviate the pain and prevent it from returning, getting a myofascial or structural massage is key. Following that up with changing your sitting and standing habits (not by forcing good posture, but by stacking your spine) will help you for a lifetime. And yes, you can still do this while sitting at a computer all day!

 

Sign up for our newsletter  for the next installation of pain in the neck causing trigger points!

And feel free to call us if you have any questions about your neck pain. It’s possible we might be able to help you over the phone for massage and self care for neck pain in Salt Lake City – 801.906.3222.

What Are Those Knots?

Published: 18 April 2013
Written by Leah
4 Comments
Categories: Blog
Trigger Point Therapy Salt Lake City
Overlooked headache trigger points

Well, it’s about time I focused the next few articles on trigger points and treating with Trigger Point Therapy.. The following articles will be specific to areas like the shoulder, low back, neck, etc, so stay tuned!

Before I dive straight into specific areas of pain that we can address (and you can address at home), I thought it important to talk about trigger points in general- what exactly are they anyway? how do I (and you) relieve them? and how can you prevent them from causing pain?

What Are Trigger Points?

Trigger points are found in soft tissues, primarily muscles and fascia (the connective that acts like a web throughout your body to hold everything together). They are primarily caused by muscle overload (whether it be from postural overload, repetitive stress overload, exertion overload, etc). And trigger points cause localized pain or referred pain to another area, which is how some trigger points are left untreated- we assume the area of pain is the place to treat.

A trigger point is a small area of muscle that has stayed contracted without a nerve impulse, forming a little knot. This usually causes a muscle to feel tight, and it will contribute to weakening the rest of the muscle. A trigger point, if left untreated, causes a chain reaction of other trigger point areas emerging, as other muscle groups have to compensate for this weakened, inefficient muscle. Many times a diagnosed “tendonitis” is actually trigger points causing pain, and can be treated with Trigger Point Therapy.

According to Dr. Janet Travell, who pioneered myofascial pain research and treatment, trigger points are the sole cause of pain seen in clinics 85% of the time. That’s a huge percentage!

Treatment

Trigger points are best treated by massage – self massage can do the trick too!- but more specifically, Trigger Point Therapy, where the massage therapist places pressure on the trigger point, usually causing some tenderness and referral sensations. This pressure helps release the held muscle tissue, and causes more blood flow (and thus oxygen for healing) to the area. Creating some minor, bearable pain while pressing on a trigger point will send your brain a signal- there is pain! Then, a slight neurological happening occurs- when the massage therapist (or you) releases pressure on the point, the pain goes away and your brain forgets about the previous, chronic pain that was there to begin with. This is similar to the Gate Control Theory of Pain.

After you’ve released the nagging trigger point and relieved your pain, it’s important to find out how the trigger points developed, so you can prevent them from returning. Did they develop because of bad postural patterns? An old injury that your body has compensated for for years? Or maybe a minor acute injury, that within a week or two, could heal on its own. You might need some guidance to get to the root of the problem (I know I have a hard time figuring out what’s actually going on with me without an outside eye), so seek help. We at Free Bodied are always here to answer any questions you might have to help lead you towards pain relief.

Prevention

Move yourself! That’s right, get into some sort of exercise regimen. Building up strength with prevent muscle overload (remember, that’s the primary cause of trigger points). I highly recommend crossfit because of it’s varied exercises and importance in taking the joints to their full range of motion (just make sure you go at your own pace). If you are just running or just biking or just getting on the eliptical, you are not moving your body at full capacity. We all start somewhere, so if it’s starting with a 10 min walk 4 times a week, start there! And then do some stretches post walk.

If you are afraid of starting to exercise (or getting back into exercise) because of pain, start by talking to some specialists and ask their opinion- maybe a physical therapist, a crossfit trainer, an acupuncturist, or a massage therapist (not a surgeon!). They will give you a good idea as to what you might be able to do and whether or not you might need to see a surgeon or might not.

Develop good postural habits. Like your mum (or dad) always told you, sit up straight! This should be done by stacking your spine, not by forcing your shoulders back and your chest forward. Here’s a great video by Ruthie Streiter (a dear friend of mine in NY) that I recommend many of my clients to watch so they can sit well. If this is hard for you, you can also try sitting at the back of your seat, using the seat’s back to prop your butt so it has that slight curve. Just make sure your feet are planted on the ground.

I hope this information sparks some interest in the journey of your healthy body. Remember, we are all working on something at any given moment. It is not just the resolution of pain or disease that is important, but also the knowledge and understanding we receive along the way.

Do you have a specific area of pain you’d like me to talk about in my next article on trigger points? Please let me know in the comment box below. For knee pain trigger points, check out this article.

Here’s to your health!

 

The Skinny on Morning Stiffness

Published: 4 March 2013
Written by Leah
1 Comment
Categories: Blog

Do you wake up in the morning feeling stiff, and needing time to warm up your joints? Are you attributing this achiness and inflexibility to getting older? Age can play a part in the “needing to move slowly in the morning” ritual, but in fact there is a better reason.

It’s important to note that this stiffness does not just get better on its own. In fact, it can easily get worse and creep more and more into your daily life until it causes a major injury resulting in pain. The good news is, there are ways to relieve this stiffness without reversing the sands of time.

Two Key Practices to Relieve & Prevent StiffnessDrink more water!

Our joints need fluid to move well and efficiently. Without fluid in our joints, they become stiff and inflexible. The muscles and fascia and cartilage surrounding our joints and throughout our body also need water to stay supple. Cartilage is made of mostly water, so dehydration causes cartilage to weaken and joint repair to slow.

Reportedly, 75% of the American population is chronically dehydrated! And dehydration not only contributes to stiffness, but also contributes to fatigue, high blood pressure, allergies, and weight gain. So, drink up people, and if you’re a soda drinker or consume more than a cup or 2 of coffee a day, please please please hop on the water bandwagon. Drinking soda and caffeine only dehydrates you more.

Get a myofascial massage

I know from experience helping clients that releasing fascial restrictions (combined with drinking more water) has eradicated the morning stiffness for my clients who stick with the regimen for at least a month. These clients then don’t have to continue to get a regular massage (unless they want to) to stay out of pain, as long as they stay mobile and continue moving. I always recommend some form of exercise, preferably something that will take your joints to their full range of motion.

fascia whole body

So, what exactly is fascia, you ask? Well, it’s connective tissue running all throughout your body in a continuous, 3-dimensional web. Fascia surrounds every muscle, nerve, bone, blood vessel, and organ in the body, and all the way down to the cellular level. It is amazing stuff!

Malfunction of the fascial system from poor posture, injury, repetitive activities, inflammation, or lack of water can result in a “binding” of the fascia. This “binding” creates immobility and pain, and it takes movement therapies or manual manipulation to unbind it.

What is fascia’s role?

* it is needed for muscle contraction and relaxation

* it covers the whole body from head to toe

* it holds the organs in place

* it is a conduit for nerve, blood, and lymph vessels as they pass through muscles

* it is vital for movement, helping transmit tension from muscle to tendon to bone, and from ligament to bone

In this brief video, Fuzz Speech, Dr. Gil Hedley discusses fascial fibrosis (or fascial binding), which he terms “fuzz”. Gil is quite the animated guy, but he has a great way of explaining stiffness caused by “fuzz” or fascial binding.

So don’t forget to drink your water, and if you have any questions about whether myofascial massage salt lake can help you, don’t hesitate to call us at 801.906.3222