Neck tension

[TheOriginalName]

Hey all....

Don't know if anyone else has this problem but thought i would just ask and see if there is a solution out there...

I work in a stressful environment - and tend to carry my tension in my neck and shoulders, which causes headaches.

My MA training has helped this problem a lot but i still tend to get it....

Beside quiting does anyone have any ideas of what i could do to reduce this problem.....

Cheers

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

There are many ways to help relieve "The World off are shoulders"
One method that works well for my students is to imagine a string at the center of the top of the Head pulling the Head upwards. The Neck will raise up when the Neck goes up try to sink the shoulders down. You will feel a stretch. The chin should not rise so much. This will get the pressure off the neck and shoulders sending it down thru the arms.
This is called in Qigong: Chen-Sink or Song-relax more of it is related to standing medation or proper Spine and body structure.

Also Bio feed back exercises and visualization techniques can help one method that was interesting was picturing the knots untying or each Veterbra loosing like little bolts.

Regular massages can help get rid of the toxic build up due to blockage and tension.
Hopefully my suggestion give you some insight on methods that can be applied or modified to your needs. We tend to view Bathroom breaks and Coffee breaks as just that however sometimes using these times are a great time to let out some stress and take a second to relax.

 

[qi-tah]

Hey all....

Don't know if anyone else has this problem but thought i would just ask and see if there is a solution out there...

I work in a stressful environment - and tend to carry my tension in my neck and shoulders, which causes headaches.

My MA training has helped this problem a lot but i still tend to get it....

Beside quiting does anyone have any ideas of what i could do to reduce this problem.....

Cheers

A few things i find helpful are:

Self-massage of the TMJ (Tempero-mandibular joint) region. Two spots are good for this - one, the notch just under yr ears, hard up again yr jawbone, and two, open yr jaw slightly and massage the cheek region just in front of yr ears. Also, be aware of tension being held in yr jaw - it's a common contributing factor to neck soreness.
(Note: If you are stressed, you might even be tensing yr jaw in yr sleep, which can lead to tooth wear due to grinding - you can get a dentist to mould a mouthgard to wear at night to prevent this.)

Pressure on the supra-scapular notch trigger points can ease tension stored in the shoulders. Best to get yr physio (spinal physios are best for this kinda stuff) to show you how to do this. Actually, if the neck/shoulder problems are long-standing, best to see a physio in any case! :asian:

Chest stretches - very handy for office workers who sit long hours hunched over the 'puter. To stretch, place yr hands on a wall at height of chest, about shoulder width apart, and bend forward from the waist, hanging on by friction whilst keeping arms and legs straight. For a stronger stretch, try a couple of minutes in the Yoga position "Downward Dog" (inverted triangle) I find both to be very relaxing and invigorating poses.

And of course the usual mediatation yada yada... the progressive relaxation or "body scan", where you lie down and methodically work yr way through the parts of yr body, tensing and relaxing each part in turn, is supposed to be very useful.

Hope some of this helps!

 

[Chris from CT]

I work in a stressful environment - and tend to carry my tension in my neck and shoulders, which causes headaches.

You already have some good suggestions. Where do you get your headaches (temples, across eybrows, behind the eyes, back of head, etc.)?

Beside quiting... .

:lol: Somethings just aren't an option, huh!?

 

[TheOriginalName]

That's a really good question....and right now i couldn't answer it.
I know that the worst headaches i get are behind the eyes - but i'm relatively sure they are not caused by the tension problem but by other things. I find the best thing with them is a eye pillow to place light pressure on the eyes and a good nights sleep.
I can't recall the exact location of the headaches caused by the tension - which i know sounds really stange but i just can't

And yes, somethings are just not an option... like amputation from the neck up!!

Cheer for the suggestions so far....i've already started using them and they do help!!

 

[Darren Brooks]

Hmmm, neck tension that is diffuse and focuses on pain behind the eyes....

Hello, I just saw your post, and thought I might offer some ideas about your "headaches". I put headaches in quotes because it sounds like your pain is really not a pounding or sharp pain in your head, but focusing more on general neck and shoulder tension and a feeling of pressure behind the eyes - am I correct?

By the way, in addition to a martial artist, I am a graduate of an acupuncture program, and if you are willing to take my opinions as information only (as the site disclaimer says), and not as gospel, or worse, a diagnosis, then I have some thoughts.

Such signs/symptoms as described can occur due to many reasons, but ruling out a more serious medical condition, you may have what we in classical chinese medicine refer to as Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Blood Deficiency or related patterns. These names are metaphors which describe how energy (Qi, Chi) becomes blocked, much like a dam in the river, which prevents your energy from circulating smoothly. This leads to a feeling of stuckness and pressure point sensitivity, particularly on the high points of the shoulder, along the trapezius muscle, as well as tightness beneath the rib cage, slight irritability, dull pain behind the eyes and/or on the top of the head, etc.

Liver Blood Deficiency is another, slightly less metaphorical description of a condition of long term stress and overwork which taxes the body and depletes the overall nutrition and body fluids. If you also have difficulty getting to sleep, or more often than not wake up in the middle of the night, see spots or "floater" in front of your eyes, and have general tension in most of your joints, then you might also have Liver Blood Deficiency (or Liver Yin Deficiency). This might also cause your behind-the-eyes pressure pain.

What to do? the others offer excellent options for you, such as taking time during the day to close your eyes and breath. Reflecting upon your thoughts, much like what occurs before we go to sleep at night, but doing it more often during the day is a great way to unwind accumulated stress which can cause the Qi to Stagnate, and the Blood and Yin to become deficient.

Massages on a more regular basis, and of course, acupuncture and herbs from a qualified licensed practitioner would be helpful, as well. You can do acupressure on your own, by pressing gently into tender points on the inside area just above your knees, massaging gently just under your rib cage beneath the diaphragm, and also around your belly button until the area is comfortable and warm. This will promote healthy digestion and calm your nervous system (by bringing energy down to the dan tien/hara).

You can also get more sleep, and change your diet to eat more nourishing and warming foods (especially with fall and winter approaching). I won't say more without seeing you in my own practice, but these are general health recommendations you'd find in any alternative or chinese medicine book.

Hope this helps.

 

[TheOriginalName]

Thanks for all those thought Darren,

I'm actually rather amazed at your "diagnosis": I can't say that i have difficulty getting to sleep but i do wake duing the night for no particular reason and see floaters rather often (there goes one right now).

I have just recently seen a nutritionist and am in the process of changing my diet (am taking a slow and steady approach rather than "cold turkey").
So this is including increasing my fruit and veg intake, drinking more water and having smaller more frequent meals - just as a start.

I have to say that i am rather scared of needles - and thus acupunture seems like a nightmare to me.....not sure if that is logical or not.

I would like to find out more regarding acupressure - as this sounds like it could help a lot.

Cheers

 

[Darren Brooks]

Seems like you already have begun dealing with more than the branch, as we say in chinese medicine, the symptoms, and getting at the root.

Acupressure techniques can be found in a variety of books, and in all kinds of styles, including self massage, Dao Yin longevity exercises, tui na chinese massage, shiatsu japanese therapies, and one of my favorites, jin shin do, a style of acupressure therapy developed in the 70's by iona teegarden. Another of my favorite "massage" therapies is Thai massage. It's like someone doing yoga for you (or rather, to you). very fun. All these styles use acupressure, which involves some use of primary acupuncture meridians and their associated points along the channels. I'm sure you can find lots of info online and in bookstores.

Also, find some bodyworkers who do different techniques and schedule a session with them. This way you can learn first hand about each style, and, more importantly, learn different ways to apply the acupressure techniques. Ask them if their technique includes acupressure techniques and remind them that you are researching acupressure, so ask them if they would please emphasize it in their treatment.

In my previous post, I suggested some areas to massage. These areas include those points which address your complaint.

And don't forget that there are many styles of bodywork that might not include "acupressure" but that are equally effective, such as Craniosacral therapy, Myofacial release, and others.

Good luck to you.

 

[buldog]

Darren has a lot of great advice. I myself am a massage therapist and have only a little accupressure training. My specialty is more Deep Tissue, Trigger Point and Medical Massage. Best case: get yourself to a qualified therapist(massage or accupressure both are equally valid) If not go out and buy a handheld vibrating massager with a long enough handle so you can reach your shoulderblades easily. You can pick one up pretty cheap, mine was less than $40, and use it on a regular basis. Hope that helps some.

PS, if you decide to go for Accupressure try to find a certified practitioner. I took a 3 month course but that is no where near enough training to incorporate it into my massage work. Some therapists list numerous specialties on their advertising eventhough they have little or no actual experience. Perhaps Darren(or someone else) knows of a website that lists qualified practitioners in your area. Good luck, Scott

 

[RBaddorf]

Hey there Name,

If you are afraid of needles, find someone (normally an acupucturist) that does gua sha or cupping. Gua sha is scrapping with a chinese soup spoon or horn tool to release the exterior and release the muscles, cupping using suction in a glass cup to do the same thing. I have had alot of great results with many different patients exhibiting the same symptoms that you have. This would give an immediate relief, but you still need to treat the underlying cause(s). Sharp pain would show an excess, dull pain a deficency. Liver patterns normally exhibit anger/irritability with excess patterns, frustration/depression with deficency. Gall bladder patterns have the freq. waking, easily startled, weird dreams, and difficulty in making decisions. Hope this helps some, just remember, no one can diagnois over the net or phone. They also need to see your tongue and feel your pulses to be most accurate.

Ron

 

[That One Guy]

I suggest you see a massage therapist.

there are a number of different modalities that would almost certainly provide relief for your sore neck and shoulders. If you have insurance, you can ask your doctor to prescribe massage therapy for your muscular discomfort, then your treatments would be covered for you. Even if you don't have insurance, massage is usually pretty affordable, often you can find good therapists who work on a sliding scale as well.

try it out, just make sure the therapist you chose is properly accredited and isn't trying to take advantage of you. choose some one with good references.

Hey all....

Don't know if anyone else has this problem but thought i would just ask and see if there is a solution out there...

I work in a stressful environment - and tend to carry my tension in my neck and shoulders, which causes headaches.

My MA training has helped this problem a lot but i still tend to get it....

Beside quiting does anyone have any ideas of what i could do to reduce this problem.....

Cheers

 

[That One Guy]

Darren has a lot of great advice. I myself am a massage therapist and have only a little accupressure training. My specialty is more Deep Tissue, Trigger Point and Medical Massage. Best case: get yourself to a qualified therapist(massage or accupressure both are equally valid) If not go out and buy a handheld vibrating massager with a long enough handle so you can reach your shoulderblades easily. You can pick one up pretty cheap, mine was less than $40, and use it on a regular basis. Hope that helps some.

PS, if you decide to go for Accupressure try to find a certified practitioner. I took a 3 month course but that is no where near enough training to incorporate it into my massage work. Some therapists list numerous specialties on their advertising eventhough they have little or no actual experience. Perhaps Darren(or someone else) knows of a website that lists qualified practitioners in your area. Good luck, Scott

AWESOME ADVICE! I should have read further into the thread so I would have noticed that you already mentioned massage as an option. I am also a massage therapist focusing on western modalities, as well as a martial artist. Its great learning martial arts when you already have a strong understanding of kinesiology anatomy and physiology!

 

[cwalker]

As a massage therapist as well, I'd definitely tip my hat into the massage arena as a potential solution to your problem and can't really add to the good advice that's already been given.

I did want to toss out a simple, but effective (to me anyway) stretch that helps lengthen the scalene muscles, the ones on the side of the neck, that are often very tight in people who hold their tension in the neck & shoulders.

Sit in a chair and look straight ahead. Now reach down with your right hand and grasp the bottom of the chair seat firmly (but not a death grip).

Keeping your right arm mostly straight, lean your body toward the left allowing your head to "fall" to the left as much as your muscles will let you while still looking straight ahead (ie don't let your head or neck turn). Gravity should be the only force pulling your head to the left.

Gripping the chair seat and keeping your arm straight help keep the shoulder from raising and following the head which helps isolate the scalenes and encourage a good stretch.

Hold this position for a while. The longer you hold it, the more you allow the muscles to lengthen and the connective tissue to unwind.

Come out slowly. Use your left hand to help your head return to center if you need to and then repeat on the other side.

(Here's a link to a site that shows a diagram of what I'm talking about).

Hope this helps.

C.

 

[kempo-vjj]

I tend to clench my teeth sometimes, or clench my jaws during stress. I do not notice when I am doing it. Sometimes while I sleep. I had a lot of neck pain right at the base then also down a little out to the side on the bony notches that kinda stick out. I would massage these until they turned numb and the pain would still be there. Ibuprofen was the only thing that would dull the pain so maybe I could sleep it off. I found about the jaw clenching from my dentist, talked to my medical doc about it. The jaw clenching tightens the muscles (spasm) from the jaw up on the side of the skull and then down to my neck. sometimes back around to the eyes. So now I take a muscle relaxer (flexaril) and two ibuprofens and it helps.

 

[Dao]

Falun Gong helps a lot. Click on the link on my signature (Falun Dafa) , it is free to learn, best to go to practice site.