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Neck Pain

The neck is easy to injure–it is a conglomerate of thin muscles with large, vital tissues (trachea, esophagus, major arteries, etc.) that is expected to hold a bowling ball up all day, every day. From repetitive neck injuries, like forward head posture or holding the phone between your ear and shoulder, to trauma, like whiplash or getting kicked by a horse or something, the neck can carry the most pain for people.

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There are many, many muscles to a neck. While they are necessary and useful, the chance for injury to one or multiple muscles is increased. Our society leaves us vulnerable to many neck issues, including forward head posture (Read more about posture with our blog), Throacic Outlet Syndrome, and upper-crossed syndrome which can cause headaches or migraines, numbness and tingling in hands and arms, neck pain, or limited range of motion, just to name a few.

 

As the vertebrae in the neck are part of the spinal column, the neck can and usually does have an affect on the back, upper, middle, and lower. The spinal column works as a unit, which means if you have issues in your neck, you either do or will have issues with your lower back and vice versa. Furthermore, the nerves that supply the neck originate in the lower neck, so the neck has a huge role to play in the health and function of the shoulders and arms all of the way to the fingertips.

 

Massage of the neck can help regain range of motion, open up nerve pathways which allows the muscles and tissues to function better, and decrease pain as well as frequency of head aches or migraines. It has helped shoulder pain and even lower back pain.