Thursday, May 1, 2014

Massage Can Be A Great Treatment for Neck Pain

Massage and Neck Pain Treatment

Massage therapy can provide relief for neck pain, especially in people with chronic tightness and soreness in their neck and shoulders. We find many people who carry their stress in their neck and shoulders. They begin to contract their neck muscles and tense their shoulders. Some people describe their shoulders moving towards their ears, which gets worse with stress or activity. Increased physical activity can make it worse such as taking care of the kids, lifting, reaching, or pulling. Driving or sitting for long hours at the computer can really aggravate neck and shoulder pain.

Increasing neck pain is very prevalent in people with "knots" in their muscles that never go away. These knots are areas of muscle that has become injured and "glued" together. The knots are actually scar tissue that prevent muscles from moving and sliding like it should. Over time the amount of scar tissue accumulates and the knots get bigger. Eventually, the knots become a weak point, and any amount of excessive activity aggravates these spots.

Muscle and Scar Tissue Pain

People tend to describe knots as the source of their pain. If they have a hard week or two of childcare, work, or house work those knots begin to get sore. With increased stress muscle pain begins to radiate from the knots to the head or shoulder. In some people the pain goes down their back.

The pain is decreased with icing and massage. Many people constantly ask their spouses to rub their shoulders. With a little rest and ice the pain decreases. However, the shoulder pain can quickly begin again with increased activity.

The shortened knots of muscle affect joints too. Because the affected muscle is functionally shorter and pulling on the joints, it increases the stress on the joints. Many people experience neck pain or headaches as a result of muscle knots. The shortened muscle changes normal movements and structural stress loads, which aggravates and injures joints. Many tension headaches or migraine headaches develop this way.

Massage Therapy Decreases Neck & Shoulder Pain

Massage therapy is effective at decreasing muscle spasms and decreasing the size of the knots. Therapeutic massage can help break up scar tissue and muscle adhesions. This is why massage is recommended treatment for muscle pain, neck pain, back pain, and low back pain.

A trained and experienced therapist will work on the neck and shoulder muscles. Often those knots begin affecting how the scapula (shoulder blade) moves. A really good therapist will work on improving scapular motion and all the muscles associated with its movement. This would include the pectoral muscles of the chest that attach to the front of the scapula.

Massage therapy is an effective treatment for neck pain. It helps decrease muscle spasms and break up scar tissue that has accumulated from daily stress and strain. Some people feel a decrease in headache symptoms within a visit or two.

Look for trained therapists who are experienced in working with these types of injuries. Not all therapists are equal in this regard.
More information on musculoskeletal injuries, treatment, and pain at http://www.robertsonfamilychiro.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carson_Robertson

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