5 steps to release pain in a neck

Problems in the neck area are among the most common unpleasant pains of a modern man who spends up to two thirds of the day sitting down. Together with lower back pain, this is perhaps the most common discomfort in the muscle system. There may be several reasons, but the most typical is the painful myofascial syndrome along with the muscular imbalances. The neck muscles suffer from excessive sitting, indiscriminate overloading in the gym or manual work. The main reason for a painful neck is the long-term misalignment of the shoulders and cervical spine.

What causes these difficulties? Problems arise as a result of the aforementioned long-term holding of the shoulders and cervical spine in the wrong setting. As this develops over a number of hours and days, there is a permanent increase in tension and an inability for the muscle to relax. With increased tension, the blade's resting position moves upwards and leads to excessive movements when lifting the upper limb - creating trigger points aside the muscle fibers, which are the source of local and transmitted pain. Within weeks to months, the muscles gradually become shorter. As a result, these muscles pull both of their shrouds together and create exactly the position of the shoulders and head that we do not want. There is a vicious circle of muscle imbalance, in which the upper fixators continue to shorten, hurt and solidify, while the lower fixators merely look at it, fade away and only create further trigger points. The pain caused by the active trigger points in the individual muscles has their characteristic projection onto different areas of the head, upper back and whole arm. It is time to break this vicious circle.

Step 1: Treat yourself to relaxation

We all know that long-term stress is harmful. I will not tell you not to worry, you have certainly heard it at least a hundred times and it still did not help. The simpler way will be to try to compensate at least a little. Chronic stress affects, among other things, specific muscle groups (which include, in addition to the masticatory, lumbar and pelvic floor muscles, the neck muscles as well), so overall calming is paramount, for example dry sauna or meditation.

Step 2: Remove trigger points After you worry about your head, we can move on to remove myofascial trigger points. Basically, it is the part of the muscle fibers that is in permanent tension and tends to take over the work of the entire muscle, so the muscle is much weaker. You feel them as a painful stiff spot in the muscle that, when you squeeze, causes not only local, but often transmitted pain, spreading, for example, to the head or arm. It is relatively easy to get rid of these trigger points by applying the pressure described below. You will need two tennis balls that you put into your sock and knot. Then lay on the ground and place the tennis balls along the spine. Then just lie down comfortably, breathe freely and concentrate on becoming relaxed. Alternatively, it is good to very lightly clench the muscles you are compressing, then release them with exhalation and then let the balls sink into the relaxed muscles. You will certainly feel a lot of pain, but it will gradually cease until it has completely disappeared. Then move the balls down to the next painful spot and wait again for pain relief. Once you have mastered purgatory tennis shoes, you can move on to the next step.

Step 3: Return the muscles to their original length

Now comes a series of stretching. First, put the muscle into a stretch until you feel a slight thrust of the stretched muscle. Stay in this position for a while and breathe freely, try to relax and wait for the thrust to pass. You should feel a pleasant movement, not a painful one! If the muscles are shortened a lot, stretch slowly and gradually each day. If you are hypermobile (extremely mobile), you will feel a straight anatomical barrier of bone and ligament rather than a muscle stroke, so avoid this step! First, grab the ladders and hang up to the back so that you can feel the tension between the shoulder blade and the thoracic spine. Hold for about 60 seconds and breathe. Then fix the opposite arm with your hand and slowly bow to the other side until you feel a slight thrust where you can hold it again for 60 second.

Step 4: Learn how to use the lower fixators Finally, the upper fixators are free to allow their lazy and weak opponents to work. As the lower fixators begin to work actively, it also improves relaxation in the neck area. Place your back on the mat, bend your knees and rest your feet on the wall . Push the shoulder blades and headers to the ground, keep your shoulders away from your ears, and help pull your head up. Now comes the crucial moment at which the desired connection of the lower fixators takes place. Rest your legs with your hands on your thighs, let your elbows bend slightly and push into your thighs. By pushing your shoulders against your thighs, you should feel the muscles work on the side of the rib cage. Hold for about ten seconds while exhaling twice as long and hard. Then loosen and repeat four to ten times.

Step 5: Now strengthen Suppose weak muscles are more susceptible to overload, thus triggering trigger points, so the last step is to strengthen the upper fixators. It would be a great mistake to believe that some muscles should not be strengthened but only stretched! However, the method of strengthening these muscles, which have the potential to shorten, is somewhat different. It is not a workout in the true sense of the word, but at the beginning it is rather a workout aimed at improving blood circulation and warming up, and thus muscle recovery.

I hope this short article gives you some ideas and tips how to help yourself. Please leave a comment if you need any further information or advice.