I commonly hear clients say, " I woke up this morning with neck pain and couldn't turn my head all the way. I think maybe I slept on my neck wrong." In these cases, more often than not, the cause of pain and limited movement typically originate lower in the shoulders.
One might even ask, "Where does the shoulder end and the neck begin?"
There are two muscles to consider, the trapezius and the levator scapula (shown below in green and red respectively). The trapezius muscle is large enough that anatomists often break it down into three different sections: upper, middle, and lower. Nonetheless, it remains ONE muscle. Notice that the trapezius fibers on the neck. There exists an interconnection between the skull, the collar bone (not shown in illustration), the center of the neck, and the shoulder blade. Moving further down this green muscle, a fibrous connection between the spine and shoulder blade is also seen. So let's talk about how shoulders can cause neck pain...
Image found at www.wikipedia.org
Edited by Casey S. Hill, LMT
Throughout our daily routine we often overwork our shoulders. Perhaps we were carrying a heavy bag of groceries, picking up an infant from their crib, sitting at a desk for 8 hours with poor posture, or exercising at the gym, regardless, these seemingly innocuous tasks can cause our shoulders, in particular the trapezius muscle, to tighten up. Thus, creating a chain reaction of taut, overly contracted muscle fibers that run from the center of our mid-back to the shoulder blade and, ultimately, to our neck and skull. Furthermore, once one muscle is compromised, other muscles are affected as well. Namely, in this case, the levator scapula. Similar to the trapezius, the levator scapula runs from the shoulder blade to the neck. If the trapezius has been strained then the levator scapula will typically tighten up as well. Keep in mind the tightening doesn't necessarily happen all at once. If we go to bed feeling fine but wake up with neck pain, then chances are that during the night these aforementioned chain reactions of tightening muscle fibers and compensations were slowing taking place over the course of the night.
Our body wants to be comfortable regardless of whether or not we are awake or asleep. Unless you are sleeping in an unusual location (i.e. on an airplane, your history class, a couch that is shorter than you, or in a different bed with uncomfortable pillows), the chances are you are sleeping in a position that won't cause suffering. When we wake up with unexpected pain typically something we did the day before, maybe even a few days before, is actually to blame. Luckily, the solution is easy. Massage combined with assisted stretching is proven to be a fast and effective way to help alleviate both neck and shoulder pain. Also, warm, gentle heat applied to both the neck and shoulder region can overtime help loosen the tissue.
If you or a loved one suffers from neck or shoulder pain, please email me at Casey@CaseyHillWellness.com and let's talk more about how massage therapy can help you.
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