Stretches For Neck Pain Relief
While workers in a variety of fieldsfrom industrial, to tech, to health carecan find themselves stuck in static positions, there are some posture distortions that are common among office workers. When sitting at a desk and working at a computer, office workers tend to hunch over and bring their arms forward. Below are some easy stretching exercises you can do at your desk to help alleviate neck pain and headaches resulting from work-related physical stress.
Side Neck Stretch: Sit up straight, pushing your shoulders back. Tilt the head toward your right shoulder. Place your right hand on the top of the head and gently pull down, bringing the right ear closer to the right shoulder and stretching out the muscles on the left side of the neck. Repeat on the other side.
Forward Neck Stretch: Place both hands on the back of the head, pulling the head forward until your chin is nearly touching your collarbone and you are looking at your chest. You should feel tension in the muscles in the back of the neck easing.
Alternate Neck Stretch: Turn the head slightly to the right, place hands on the back of the head, and pull forward until you are looking at your right armpit. Repeat in the other direction.
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What Causes Tense Shoulders
The neck and shoulders are typically the first place that office workers or those who spend their days seated over a computer start to feel tension. If your shoulders are too tight, you may experience limited mobility when turning your head from side to side, have daily or occasional headaches, and find that certain sleeping positions are uncomfortable. In addition, you may also simply be able to see that your shoulders are raised or hunched, rather than relaxed and back.
Knots, or myofascial trigger points to use their official names, are tight balls of overworked fibers in the muscles. They are similar to a spasm that has been unable to release. Massage is one of the best ways to provide some relief from knots, as it brings blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area, as well as helping any lactic acid or additional toxins to drain away. This allows the fibers to separate and the muscle to return to full health.
Tight shoulder muscles can be caused by any type of repetitive overuse, from lifting at the gym to everyday misalignment. When youre treating tense shoulders, its important to accompany your massage therapy with gentle exercise and other de-stressing measures, such as meditation or deep breathing.
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How To Give A Full Body Massage
This article was co-authored by Justyna Kareta. Justyna Kareta is a Certified Master Massage Therapist and Owner of Lush Massage, a massage studio based in San Francisco, California. Justyna has over nine years of experience as a therapist and specializes in Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage and CranioSacral Therapy to soothe the nervous system and facilitate deep healing. She received her massage therapy training from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, is certified by California Massage Therapy Council, and is a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 45 testimonials and 97% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,038,300 times.
Giving a full body massage is a wonderful way to help a person get rid of stress and sore muscles. It can also help two people become more intimate. Read this wikiHow to learn how to give a full body massage.
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How To Massage Shoulders
Kneading Technique: Use your thumb to knead the shoulder, adding the fingers of the other hand to help apply more pressure.
Circular Technique: Apply pressure to the shoulder with the fingertips, working in a circular motion up to the neck muscle.
Once you have finished the neck and shoulder massage on one side, move to the other, then glide both hands down the back in long, flowing strokes to finish up the massage.
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Can You Massage Someone Else
The biggest mistake people make when doing a home massage on someone else is pressing too firmly and deeply, says Nunes. You have to be careful, as there are ways to hurt someone if you go straight in with a full deep-tissue massage with no prior experience.
However, says Goodson, simple flushing motions keeping the touch light and using the flat of the hands wont damage. Use oil or lotion so youre creating a glide on the skin and stick to larger surface areas such as the legs and back.
While a lot of people might be tempted to massage their friend or partner on a bed, Howell advises against it. A bed can be too soft and bend the recipients spine, she says. It can also twist the neck and could be too low for the person giving the massage and possibly strain their back, too. Not ideal.
Howell suggests sitting the other person in a straight-backed chair. Make sure their head is in alignment with the spine, she says. You can give a short massage through clothing if the clothing is soft cotton-based, not nylon or anything thick or scratchy or use a light oil or cream on bare skin.
Use gentle squeezing and rubbing motions to increase blood flow upwards into tight muscles. But dont massage on the bone or spine. To release upper body tension, start from between the shoulder blades using the thumbs in upwards circular motions and work your way up into the neck and shoulders, says Howell.
Releasing these areas can get rid of tension headaches.
The Benefits Of Neck And Shoulder Massage
With so many muscles and soft tissue structures in and around the neck, it is important to give the neck necessary protection and relief. Massage in Fulham is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for pain in the neck and shoulders. The main purpose of neck and shoulder massage is to eliminate the tension and the spasms from the muscles, improve circulation as well as encouraging relaxation.
An improvement in circulation will bring more oxygen and nutrients to the problem areas and this will speed up recovery. Loosening up neck muscles also opens up a path for better blood flow delivering more oxygen to the brain reducing tension headaches and migraines. By using variable shoulder massage techniques, it is possible to release trigger points, gradually dissolve chronic tension, re-educate neck muscles into full flexibility. All in all, massage for neck and shoulders pain can be considered one of the most effective tools.
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Frozen Shoulder Stretch Routines
As with any physical routine, talk to your doctor before taking up a new regimen. While its good to push yourself to recover, its important to avoid further injury.
Try the following frozen shoulder stretches at home once approved. Repeat each ten to 20 times per day, according to your own pace and pain level.
Massage Therapy: A Caring Career Path
If you enjoy learning about how to relieve tension in the muscles and could envision yourself stepping out of the office or traditional work environment into this caring career path, you may want to consider becoming a massage therapist. Massage therapists enjoy helping people feel better on a daily basis. Whats more, many professionals are able to find positions with flexible schedules in settings that promote relaxation and well-being. To learn more about entering this rewarding industry, contact Carrington College today.
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What Type Of Massage Should I Choose
If you want to specifically target your shoulders and neck, its often easy to find a chair massage. These are performed fully dressed, and can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour. Your therapist will use their hands, forearms and elbows to deeply target the musculature of your back and shoulders, leaving you feeling instantly lighter.
If you would like something more comprehensive, a Deep Tissue Massage will probably incorporate plenty of work on the upper back and neck, getting into the underlying layers of muscle and fascia. The effects of this type of massage are cumulative, so after a few sessions you may find that you are able to go longer between treatments.
How To Give Massages For Neck Back And Shoulder Pain
Some areas can be tricky to self-massage and a massage ball may not provide you with the same level of relief as a traditional massage. If your loved one is suffering from neck pain, back pain, or shoulder pain, heres how you can learn to give massages to deal with these aches. In this article, massage therapist, Wei Xin shares tips on giving massages like a pro.
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How To Give A Neck Massage
This article was co-authored by Justyna Kareta. Justyna Kareta is a Certified Master Massage Therapist and Owner of Lush Massage, a massage studio based in San Francisco, California. Justyna has over nine years of experience as a therapist and specializes in Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage and CranioSacral Therapy to soothe the nervous system and facilitate deep healing. She received her massage therapy training from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, is certified by California Massage Therapy Council, and is a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 13 testimonials and 93% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 813,081 times.
People who sit at desks or drive for long periods of time often experience a lot of pain in their neck and shoulders. Giving them a neck massage is a great way to relieve that tension. Massages can also improve blood circulation, ease headache pain, improve someone’s mood, and give an energy boost.XResearch source Giving a good neck massage is a wonderful gift, whether to a friend, loved one, or a professional massage client.
Other Frozen Shoulder Treatments
If youre interested in adding to your daily routine of exercises and self-massage, there are other non-invasive treatment options you can try. The following activities may help relieve pain associated with frozen shoulder:
- Yoga: Gentle exercise can increase your range of motion and help loosen scar tissue. Yoga is a great way to stretch, whether at home or in a group class. Be sure to modify when necessary to avoid further injury.
- Swimming: Water-based exercise or therapy is another beneficial activity if you are experiencing limited range of motion due to pain. Swimming and even gentle water aerobics are non-weight-bearing activities that can take pressure off your shoulder.
- Physical therapy: A physical therapist can help design an exercise plan to open up the shoulder joint. Exercises may be similar to the ones discussed here, but done in a controlled manner. A therapist is especially useful when youre suffering from severe or chronic shoulder pain.
- Chiropractic care: Chiropractors use alignment techniques to ease the symptoms associated with frozen shoulder syndrome. In many cases, chiropractic care is a great way to prevent frozen shoulder before it happens, if you believe you may be at risk.
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Massages Techniques For Shoulder Pain
This massage targets the shoulder muscles which could be strained due to prolonged hours at the desk.
How to perform this massage:
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Neck Or Shoulder Pain How To Give Yourself A Massage
Life reporter at HuffPost UK
Were here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Hunched away at our makeshift desks with limited movement, its unsurprising many of us have neck and shoulder pain not to mention headaches as a result of our shift to a more static, lockdown lifestyle.
But it doesnt have to be this way. While posture can play some part in the pain you might experience, its the lack of movement thats the problem, says Claire Small, clinical director and physiotherapist at Pure Sports Medicine.
The trick to preventing neck, shoulder and back pain, she says, is to avoid holding yourself in one position for a long period of time we need to move more. This prevents future pain, but for lots of us who are five or six weeks into working from home, the aches and pains are already alive and kicking.
So what can you do about it and is an at-home massage a good idea?