neck pain

A Good Stretch For Neck And Upper Back Pain

Would you like a good stretch for your neck and upper back pain? Would it surprise you if I told you the real problem could be the muscles in your chest?

Muscles In Chest Cause Upper Back & Neck Pain — Chest Muscles Cause Pain In Neck & Upper Back

Chest muscles tend to get short and tight and this can cause neck and upper back pain. So part of the solution to get rid of the pain in your upper back and neck is to stretch the muscles in the front of your chest and the fronts of your arms.

When these chest muscles are tight and short they cause you to have rounded, forward shoulders and that stresses your upper back.

This picture shows the chest muscles that you will target with these stretches. It’s the pectoralis minor muscle. There may also be other soft tissues in the chest and arm that will stretch at the same time.

Here are two ways to stretch your chest and arms so you can start getting rid of your neck and upper back pain.

1. Lie on the edge of bed with your shoulder at the edge of the mattress so your arm if free. Only your shoulder should be off the bed; your body should be securely on the bed.

Let your arm gently drop off edge of bed. (One arm at a time.) Pretend your arm is a butterfly wing moving from your leg to your head.

Do this with your palm up if you can. At least do it with your thumb pointing to the ceiling.

You will feel stretching in various places in your upper, front arm and your chest muscles. It’s okay to wait a bit when you feel something stretching to let it stretch. Gravity helps you stretch when you do it this way.

Always Continue reading “A Good Stretch For Neck And Upper Back Pain”

August 20November 3

Stiff Neck? 8 Tips To Get Rid Of Pain In Your Neck

Do you have a stiff neck? Here are eight ways you can get that tight neck loosened up.

1. Massage. If you have massage, does your massage therapist massage, warm and loosen the muscles on the front of your chest and arms and abdomen? Does she or he or has anyone checked to see whether you have flat arches on your feet? Did you know that flat feet can cause neck pain?

2. Posture corrections. Neck muscles can pull your head forward. I hope your massage therapist works on the muscles in the front of your neck and chest and on the sides of your neck and not just in the back? Do you Continue reading “Stiff Neck? 8 Tips To Get Rid Of Pain In Your Neck”

January 8November 6

How To Get The Natural Curves Back In Your Spine To Improve Posture And Reduce Neck and Back Pain

If you have neck pain or back pain there’s a really good chance that you have lost the natural curves in your spine.

When you were born you were curled into a rounded-back position.

In a little while you began to stretch your arms and legs and rolled over and arched your back in the opposite direction of that birth position. You pushed up with your arms and lifted your head. Why?

You were getting the muscles around your spine and torso ready to walk! You were creating the natural curves in your back that you needed.

So now you have back or neck pain because you’re losing those natural curves but bodies heal all the time.

It’s important Continue reading “How To Get The Natural Curves Back In Your Spine To Improve Posture And Reduce Neck and Back Pain”

December 15November 6

Simple Pain Relief Tip – Move Your Feet and Fix Your Neck

Neck pain can come all the way from your feet!

Moving your feet while you lay in bed can help you get rid of a stiff back, stiff neck or tight hip muscles. Moving your feet actually causes movement in all of the muscles up to your head. Why? Because they are all attached!

Here are some simple pain relief movements you can do.

Lay on your back. Uncover your feet if you are in bed. Hold one foot toes up and swish your foot from side to side. Pretend your foot is the windshield wiper on a car. Do this movement until Continue reading “Simple Pain Relief Tip – Move Your Feet and Fix Your Neck”

November 25November 6

Neck Pain – What Causes Pain In Your Neck?

Neck pain can be caused by all of the muscles in your neck. When they “push” or “pull” on your spine the muscles can cause pressure on the nerves in your neck. But wait! There’s more!

Your neck is also attached to the rest of your body.

That means that muscles as far away as your feet (!) can cause neck pain. Your whole body is one unit; all of the muscles act together. Even when you are not aware of it, the muscles in your lower body affect your neck and your posture.

This means the more ways you use your body–all of the muscles instead of only the same ones over and over–the less pain and more “balanced” you will be.

This may sound strange but how about starting off by rotating your feet? When Continue reading “Neck Pain – What Causes Pain In Your Neck?”

November 19November 6

Neck Pain Relief – Causes and Simple Pain Relief Tips

Neck pain, even if it’s nervy pain, is usually caused by your muscles. Muscles move bones and that can cause pressure on nerves in your neck. You can relax muscles that are tight with ice or heat.

The rule of thumb is: Ice for nervy pain and heat for muscular pain.

If you use heat and feel slightly worse afterward, that means heat is not the correct treatment. Use ice instead. You can find more information in the “Heat & Ice” Category right here at SimplePainRelief.com.

Tiny movements are more beneficial to Continue reading “Neck Pain Relief – Causes and Simple Pain Relief Tips”

July 24November 7

Why do Musicians and Band Members Get Back & Neck Pain?

Playing musical instruments can be a pain in the neck.

I was at a high school symphony band concert and was struck by the extremely poor posture and “forward head posture” of many of the musicians.

Even though a lot of young people have “forward heads,” it was much more so with the musicians than with the general student population.

Why would this be?

Most of us hold our arms and heads in front of us most of the day, but musicians–musical athletes–hold their instruments for extended periods without the opportunity to stretch or relax the muscles that support their instruments.

What could help? Stretching, strengthening and massage.

The muscles in the front of the body support the instrument. The are the ones that are Continue reading “Why do Musicians and Band Members Get Back & Neck Pain?”

June 7August 3

Stiff Neck? 3 Natural Steps to Get Your Neck Moving Again

Did you wake up with a stiff neck?

It’s amazing the crazy things we can do to ourselves in our sleep!

Sleeping with your neck tilted forward, or to one side or the other, can cause your muscles to get unhappy and become tight or go into a spasm.

Being in one position for a long time without moving (like sitting with your head turned toward someone) can aggravate your neck muscles, too.

A hard jarring sneeze or cough can cause a stiff neck, and this may be even more uncomfortable than the one that comes during your sleep. An accident that whips your head from side to side or front to back might cause pain in your neck, too.

When the muscles go into spasm, or seize up and keep you from moving your neck, that can be a protective step by your body to prevent injury.

Be mindful as you apply the following steps and pay attention to what your body is telling you. If something doesn’t feel appropriate, don’t do it.

Here are the 3 natural steps you can take to help your neck relax:

1. Use heat on the muscles on the tops of your shoulders. You can also apply heat to your upper chest and upper back. If heat is not the best treatment for you to use, you’ll be able to tell; you’ll feel slightly worse afterward. If you use a hot shower, direct the water to your upper back, tops of shoulders (each separately) and the front of your upper chest and neck.

2. Use ice on the muscles at the back of your neck. Also, wrap the ice pack around your neck to benefit the muscles on the sides and front. It may feel like the pain is in the back of your neck, but there’s a good chance that all of the neck muscles are involved. Some muscles run from your collar bone to the back of your head. If you only have a small ice pack, your muscles will just have to take turns!

The rule of thumb is: Heat for tight muscles and ice for nervy symptoms.

Since a stiff neck may involve the nerves in your neck, go for ice around your whole neck and upper chest toward the middle. Ice will relax the muscles and also helps numb the pain.

3. Gently, slowly move your neck into Continue reading “Stiff Neck? 3 Natural Steps to Get Your Neck Moving Again”

September 20November 7

Four Stories about Bodies Healing Themselves

Healing Story Number One:

Years ago I worked with a woman who fell asleep reading in bed. She fell asleep with her head propped forward. After several hours, she awoke in pain. She could hardly move one of her arms. Over the next month, she came into work only two half days. You could see the pain in her face. She had to go home.

She had been to a chiropractor and a neurologist, but neither could help her.

One day, her daughter came over and said, Mom, could you watch the new baby for just a few minutes while I go down the street?

Well, the new baby started crying, and the woman tried to reach down to lift the baby from its seat on the floor with her good arm. As she did that, her neck popped, and her pain went away. She was back to work the next day.

Healing Story Number Two:

A few years ago, a woman had shoulder pain. She went to a physical medicine doctor who sent her to physical therapy, and her shoulder got better.

When her other shoulder started to hurt, she had deep muscle massage and it helped, but still her shoulder hurt. So she went for physical therapy again. By the fourth session, she realized that it was making the shoulder pain worse, so she stopped going.

That weekend, she helped her husband lift a six-foot long counter top. Her pain stopped and her shoulder has not hurt since.

Healing Story Number Three:

A construction worker came home in pain. He had hurt his shoulder. His boss said to go to physical therapy. He went for four sessions, but didn’t think it was helping.

Then he came home one day with a big smile. His pain was 90 percent gone! He had lifted something heavy at work, and his shoulder popped and the pain left. Now it is almost completely well.

Healing Story Number Four

A woman tripped on her doorstep. She fell face first into the room. It was a jarring fall, and it hurt. For the next several days, her back hurt and she could barely get comfortable in bed.

One night, she couldn’t sleep, so she got up. Her husband came out and said, come back to bed and I will rub your back.

When he pressed on her back, it popped loudly! He jumped back, afraid that he had hurt her. “What was that? Did you hear that?” His wife said, “Yes, I did. I felt it, too. In fact, I think I’m better now.” And, she was.

What Do These Stories Mean?

Well, let’s see. They could mean that sometimes we get a dislocation in a joint. That sometimes we just need a little movement to correct a problem.

That bodies want to heal themselves and be well. That sometimes we need to allow our body to heal in its own time. That sometimes the correct counter-movement or counter-pressure can get things back to where they were.

They could mean that bodies want to be well, and that sometimes we need a little assistance or a little time to heal.

Physician, heal thyself. You can be your own best physician.