Neck Pain and Massage
There’s a reason we describe difficult or uncomfortable situations as a pain in the neck. When your neck is hurting, everything from driving to trying to sleep becomes a project and a source of aggravation. Can Massage Therapy help?
Our answer is: yes! Neck pain is one of our favorite symptoms to treat, but there are a few warning signs we look out for to keep our clients safe.
First, let’s take a look at the structures of the neck that most commonly cause pain.
A diagram of the muscles of the neck an shoulder.
As you can see in the image above, the neck is a high traffic area with lots of easily aggravated muscles. Our job as Massage Therapists is to know these muscles and how they move to best identify the sources of restriction and pain. A few key players:
Suboccipital muscles: Located at the base of the skull, these tiny muscles can become a big problem if the get too tight or restricted.
Levator scapulae: This muscle runs from the top of the shoulder to the side of the neck, and is very commonly tight and painful when we find the shoulders are being pulled up towards the ears. We use targeted techniques to help this muscle settle and drop the shoulders back down.
These are just two of several muscles and structures we look at when assessing for neck pain. At MMT Shrewsbury, we consider the entire body when formulating a plan and assessing movement.
When is Massage not a good idea?
We look for nerve/neural symptoms. Tingling, numbness, cognitive problems, or recent trauma (like a car accident) could indicate damage that would not be safe for Massage Therapy. Your therapist will go over the details of your pain before agreeing on a treatment plan.
Severe Pain or Inability to Move. One of the assessments your therapist will walk you through is called range of motion, where we see the movements possible in your neck. If we notice an area is completely unable to move, we may have more questions about your history to design a safe plan.
We help neck pain by increasing range of motion and encouraging the nervous system to soften so you can move comfortably again. Plus, treatment feels great! Our techniques are designed to work with you, not against you, so Massage Therapy should never be painful.
To learn more about how we can help with neck pain and to see if our office would be a good fit for you, call 484-362-3371 or book your appointment now!