#neckpain – The Fascial Effect

Don’t Just Sit There!

Sitting is something we all do without thinking about it, we sit relaxing on the sofa, we sit at our desks, we sit in cafes and restaurants, we sit on public transport or in our cars, but sitting can be bad for our bodies if we don’t sit in the right position.

Hunched over a keyboard, slumped on the sofa, bent over a mobile phone or e-reader, driving on a long journey, even watching TV, we twist and bend into positions our bodies weren’t designed to maintain for any length of time. These activities involve:

Holding your neck in an awkward position for long periods of time
Hunching your shoulders forward
Leaning more into one side of your body

When your head is positioned in a forward posture for hours at a time it puts extra pressure on the discs in the neck and spine, which causes increased compression and can lead to chronic neck and shoulder pain and severe headaches. So, stress headaches may not be about too much going on in your head, but how you’re holding it.

The average human head weighs around 10 to 12lbs and all that is balanced on just 7 vertebrae in your neck and supported by around 20 muscles that are responsible for moving your head around and keeping that weight in place.

The relationship between the head, neck and torso affects the whole body. When the head sits properly on the neck and both are properly aligned with the back, the whole body follows with natural posture. However getting our heavy head to sit in correct alignment after the back, neck and spine is a difficult task.

The partial solution to this is getting the neck and shoulders as right as possible at first and the head alignment will follow. Also, these pains can usually be treated with a course of gentle myofascial release therapy, which identifies the points or triggers where things have tightened up and got stuck, loosens the muscles of neck, releases trapped nerves and increases your range of movement.

That will work to release some of the tension, but if you just go back to your old habits, all that good work can be reversed. However, you can practise good self-care after treatment and prevent this happening again.

My Neck and Shoulder Fascia Release workshop is designed to get you started with basic movement therapy to do that – and it’s online, so it doesn’t matter where you are you can participate. The results are often life-changing and patients find they not only have more mobility, less (or no) pain, but also sleep better and feel generally better in themselves.

To book a Neck and Shoulder Fascia Release Workshop click here

If your current symptoms are very uncomfortable an initial assessment is advisable. It may be necessary to have a manual treatment to release some of the tension first to get the most out of the workshop.

Body

What to do about whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury which most people associate with road traffic accidents. It can, however, happen in any situation where the body accelerates forward and then quickly decelerates throwing the head forwards, backwards and sideways, for example:

During sporting activities such as rugby and boxing
A slip or a fall where the head is jolted forwards and backwards
While on a rollercoaster ride, especially if it stops suddenly!

The vigorous movements of the head put enormous strain on the neck, shoulder and upper back and injury occurs. After the initial shock, neck pain and stiffness can be followed with related symptoms such as headaches, jaw pain, dizziness, nausea and tinnitus.

Depending on the severity of the injury, the pain and stiffness will restrict movement for 2-3 days, but after this period, if it’s not treated:

Tight, inactive and injured muscles will shorten and weaken.
Muscles surrounding the injury will overcompensate and become strained.
Too much scar tissue will form in any torn muscle and reduce its ability to do what it normally does.
Fascia (connective tissue) surrounding everything including the vertebrae, thinks the new way of moving is normal and adapts to hold everything within their new positions, restricting movement even further.
Long term this leads to postural problems and recurring symptoms of whiplash.

This means that movement is more likely to aid recovery than prolonged immobilisation. Myofascial stretch and trigger point release will help in this process, softening the taut tissue and allowing muscles to move naturally as they are meant to do. Assisting the head and neck to “Unwind” is another advanced fascial release technique which allows the head and neck to move through a range of motions without force.

For more information call 07775633798