I can’t say it enough: where you feel the pain is rarely the source of the pain.
Rubbing and working your sore neck and shoulders won’t be a permanent fix if you don’t find the source of the problem. In the case of neck and upper back pain, chances are very high the source of your problem comes from the front of the body. Why?
When we shorten the fascia and muscles on one side of the body, the opposite side has to overextend and overwork to compensate. This results in signals of discomfort or outright pain in the overextended muscles, and no amount of rubbing those sore spots will bring permanent relief until the pattern of shortening is stopped and reversed.
Most of us spend way too much time looking down at our phones or computers and have locked ourselves into a rounded forward shape. The front of the body doesn’t feel as strained as the back of the body because it’s the back body muscles that are working overtime to keep us from falling face-first onto our phones or desktops. But the only way to find relief is to focus on the muscles in the front, even though they aren’t usually signaling pain.
Part 1 of this series can be found here. I show you how to find your tight spots. Then we release them through self-massage and a series of stretches that require nothing more than a wall, a kitchen sink (or park bench, etc), and a blanket or two. Do these regularly and you may be ready to progress to Part 2.
Start Your Healing Journey
I want to help you heal from illness, injury, and pain. You're probably tired of living with pain, you may have even tried a few things and had some temporary relief - but it always comes back!
Perhaps, you haven't yet found the root source of your pain and discomfort. That's where my self-assessment quiz comes in.
This quiz will ask you a series of questions that will enable you to focus your energy and attention to the most likely source so you can begin to heal, grow, and thrive!
Part 2, found below, focuses on deeper stretches so we can move the bones into proper alignment. If you start to strengthen around misaligned bones you may well create a whole new set of problems, mostly in the form of joint pain. So spending time to get the bones in their proper places is an absolutely critical part of this process. You will need a yoga bolster/pile of firm blankets and a yoga strap/leash/long scarf. Links for props are at the end of this post.
Part 3 will include deeper stretches and strengtheners for the back of the body so that you can easily stand in correct alignment and FINALLY be free of your text neck. Hallelujah!
Now, at the risk of stating the super obvious - if you don't stop the bad habits that create the problem, this process will be long, frustrating, and possibly futile.
For tips on identifying and fixing your posture problems, please watch my Easy Fixes for Bad Posture video.
As always, reach out to me with any questions. I know some of you are working with injuries or other special considerations and may need some variations on what I offer in these videos. I am happy to help! To book a consultation for a customized plan, click here.
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