Trigger Points In The Neck Can Cause Tension Headaches
Working on your laptop for a lengthy period may be the norm. But an hour of typing on the computer may cause a tensional headache. Hunching over the computer creates trigger points in the neck leading to tension headaches.
Trigger points are knotted muscles that trigger pain in another part of the body. If you have muscle knots in your neck muscles from hunching or poor posture, they might refer pain to your head, giving you a headache. Pain medication might help relieve the headache but does little to solve the actual problem.
Ice And/or Heat Therapy
Applying ice packs to your neck for 15-minute intervals during the first 48 to 72 hours can help to reduce inflammation and pain. After the first 48 to 72 hours, applying moist heat to the area, for up to 20 minutes, can help to promote blood flow to the area and encourage healing. Additionally, the warmth can help to soothe sore muscles. You can also alternate these two therapies for optimal results.
Massage The Back Of Your Neck And Your Upper Back
Again, take your hand and place it on the back of your neck, just below the hairline. Using two fingers, find where your neck meets the top of your spine and press lightly. Now move your fingers in a downward motion on either side of your spine .
Push down with more pressure and go further down the spine until you reach the middle of your shoulders. While pushing down, sweep towards the outside of your body like you are trying to wipe away the pain. Do this several times until you feel the tension leaving your neck and shoulder area .
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Signs And Symptoms Of A Pulled Muscle In Neck Tissue Or Something More
What is important about knowing and understanding common signs and symptoms of a simple neck strain, is knowing when other signs indicate that the problem might be more serious. What might first appear to be a neck strain might actually be an early indicator that a larger and more serious problem is going on.
Findings and complaints associated with a pulled neck muscle:
Sometimes neck pain or a stiff neck is just the start or the first sign of a larger problem.
Be cautious and suspicious of symptoms suggesting more than a simple strain of the neck or nerve injury. Findings and complaints not commonly seen and not usually associated with a pulled neck muscle, that might suggest fracture or nerve injury:
- Weakness of the neck or arms.
- Numbness in the arms or hands.
- Tingling in the arms or hands.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Difficulty breathing.
Contact your primary care doctor or chiropractor if you experience any of these last listed signs and symptoms.
A Step Beyond Massage Therapy
Be-Your-Own Therapist Home Treatment
Treatments for Neck Pain
Even if you need medical treatment such as prescription medicines for your neck pain, the following home treatment measures will help speed your recovery.
For sudden neck pain:
Place an ice pack or cold pack over painful muscles for 48 to 72 hours. This will help decrease any pain, muscle spasm, or swelling. If the problem is near the shoulder or upper back, ice the back of the neck. If you prefer, try ice massage. Massage the painful area with ice for 7 to 10 minutes, long enough to numb the pain. Ice frozen in a paper cup works well. Be sure not to damage your skin .
Avoid things that might increase swelling, such as hot showers, hot tubs, hot packs, or alcoholic beverages, for the first 48 hours after an injury. After 48 to 72 hours, if swelling is gone, apply heat. Use a warm pack or heating pad set on low. Some experts recommend alternating between heat and cold treatments.
Return to your normal daily activities as soon as possible. One study found some evidence that continuing normal activities after an acute whiplash injury helps heal some symptoms faster than taking time off from work and using neck immobilization.
Gently massage or rub the area to relieve pain and encourage blood flow. Do not massage the injured area if it causes pain. Nonprescription creams or gels, such as Bengay, may provide pain relief.
You can aid healing in both acute and chronic neck pain and prevent further injury by:
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How To Relieve A Neck Muscle Spasm
A neck spasm happens if your muscles tense unexpectedly. Your neck is uncomfortable and rigid that probably affects your head-turning capability. A difficult neck movement or strain associated with stress frequently causes a spasm of the neck. It might induce a headache if the neck spasm is long enough.
Massaging The Back Muscles Of Your Neck
Try to keep the pressure as light as you can. Too much massage pressure may be harmful. Add more slight pressure until you feel the right kind of pressure on the neck. Make sure that you are not overstretching your neck since it may cause pain and discomfort.
Lets begin:
- Put your left hand on the neck muscles located behind your left ear. Use soft fingers to apply some gentle pressure onto the area. Slowly turn your head to the right while applying the pressure. Make sure your fingers dont move, and that its just your head that is moving. Repeat on the other side.
- Use your fingers to massage the same area of the neck with gentle circular movements to increase blood flow while releasing tension. See this video for more detailed instructions.
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Can You Use Massage Gun On Neck
Yes, you can use a massage gun on your neck you just need to know where and how.
Studies show that percussive therapy can prevent DOMS1 . In many cases, neck pain and tension comes from overstraining the muscles in your neck.
Massage guns work by improving blood circulation within muscles. This relieves pain by supplying fresh oxygen to the muscle tissue. They also help relieve stiff muscles2 by reducing muscle tension, which helps you relax.
They are also great for DIY massage. You can carry your massage gun anywhere with you and use it when the need arises. If you experience neck pains at work, you can take out your massage gun and sort out your problem immediately.
A Simple Success Story: Treating A Tension Headache With Suboccipital Massage
The yowly one
Not in yowly mode.
My cat once woke me up with a particularly insistent feed-me-now yowl. Normally I would have been irritated, but on that day she was doing me a favour, because my neck was in a crazy position and I was cooking up a violent headache. It was already spreading across the back of my skull like a toxic spill.
Sleeping is dangerous!
I can only assume it would have been even worse without my furry early warning system, but within an hour my headache was yowling more than the cat, who was by then fed and settled in the cat sauna. Late in her life, she became fond of sleeping in the bathroom with the heat lamp on presumably it was therapeutic for her cranky ol body. I decided to follow her example and warmed the back of my head up with one of my big, thick and lovely Thermophore heating pads and then settled in for a dose of urgently needed massage for Perfect Spot No. 1. Then, using a Knobble massage tool, which is just perfect for this location, I applied some intense pressure to my suboccipital muscles. And then I followed that up with a good dose of mobilizations .
The Knobble II by Trigger Point Products is a good shape for self-massage of the suboccipital area.
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How To Relax Neck Muscles When They’re Tight
A stiff neck isn’t just painful and uncomfortable – it affects your day-to-day life. Routine tasks like driving, cleaning, getting dressed, and even just sitting become more difficult and at times, painful. But if you’re experiencing neck pain and stiffness, don’t worry – we’re here to help. Today, we’re going to explain how to relax your neck muscles and release tension.
That neck pain and muscle tension you’re experiencing can be caused by a number of things. Maybe you slept in an awkward position, and now you’re paying for it. Or, maybe you moved incorrectly in the gym and tweaked something. Perhaps you’re just flat out stressed – and this stress is rearing its ugly head in the form of persistent neck pain and stiffness.
Whatever the case, achieving relief is actually quite simple – assuming there isn’t an underlying issue, such as a neck injury. We’ll help you understand the difference between typical stiffness and a more serious problem. Then, we’ll share our favorite ways to calm tense neck and shoulder muscles – including some of our favorite stretches and muscle-building movements. Keep reading, and say goodbye to neck pain and stiffness once and for all!
What Does It Feel Like When A Knot Releases
They may also be found in your gluteal muscles. Aching feelings and soreness in your muscles and joints might be caused by muscular knots. A muscle knot may feel large, stiff, or rough when you touch it. Even when youre attempting to relax, it may feel tight and constricted, and theyre frequently sensitive to touch.
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Trigger Point Massage Therapy
Other popular treatments for neck pain include trigger point and acupressure based massages such as Japanese Shiatsu and Reflexology. Yes thats right, some therapists will press parts of your feet to help relieve pain in your neck!
Trigger point massage techniques use a slightly different method from the conventional strokes of oil based massages. Instead of using long flowing effleurage, therapists focus on applying a medium level of sustained pressure to very specific points on the neck, using the tips of their fingers. These pressure points are believed to be connected to physical and mental energy channels which become blocked over time through unhealthy living.
Correct Movement Is The Best Medicine Of All
The most effective and fastest way to decompress this area is to seek care by an upper cervical spine specialist. In addition, you can perform exercises and make postural changes to reduce upper trap pain effectively. These self-treatments break the vicious cycle of pain and forward head posture which in turn puts less stress on the nerve that innervates the upper trapezius.
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Simple Suboccipital Self Massage
Lets begin:
- When your suboccipital muscles are tight and locked, it can bring about dizziness, headache, and sometimes, even nausea. To release pressure from these muscles, start by feeling the soft area right beneath the bone of your skull. Use both hands, add gentle pressure on the suboccipital muscles on the right and the left sides of the neck. Then lean your head back slightly and slowly. Then keep applying just enough pressure in and up with your fingers.
- Slowly bring your chin to your chest and, as you bring your head down, slowly move your fingers outward, making the right and the left hands apart and continue applying just enough pressure. Your focus is to divide and open the suboccipital muscles and take away their tightness. Repeat the move a couple of times while making sure you do not feel any pain while doing this self-massage. Reduce the pressure when you start feeling pain. Watch this video to see how it is done correctly.
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Tightness At The Base Of The Skull Massage These Muscles
You’re likely to be sitting at your desk when it strikes: a slow, throbbing neck pain that feels like a kink at the base of your skull. Sometimes, the pain might feel like a sharp electric shock. At this point, you’re likely to perform a couple of neck stretches for pain relief.
The pain is likely to radiate up your head, making your temples tender. It may spread to your shoulders and travel down your back, causing tingling and numbness in your arms.
The pain is caused by tension headaches which result from trigger points, and muscle tension builds up in the muscles surrounding the head and the neck. Simply put: you have tight shoulders and a stiff neck.
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Manual Therapy Precautions When Working The Neck
What are the Manual Therapy Precautions and Contraindications when working the Neck?
The neck contains many structures whose locations are important to know for reasons of client safety. Many of these structures are sensitive neurovascular structures that contraindicate pressure. Others are similarly sensitive structures that require gentle pressure. The majority of these structures are located anteriorly .
For this reason, it is essential to exercise caution when working the anterior neck of a client. However, even though caution is called for, it should not prevent therapeutic work entirely, as happens with some therapists. This is unfortunate, because anterior neck work can be extremely valuable, especially to clients who have experienced a whiplash accident in the recent or distant past. Knowledge of the anatomy of the anterior neck can allow work to be performed therapeutically and safely.
Figure 13. Structures of the anterior neck. Many anterior neck structures are sensitive therefore, caution is required when working this region. The thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilages, trachea, and thyroid gland are located at midline. The common carotid artery and jugular vein are located slightly lateral to midline. The brachial plexus and the subclavian artery are located inferolaterally.
Anterior Structures: Common Carotid Artery and Jugular Vein
The Carotid Sinus Reflex
Anterior Structures: Midline
Anterior Structures: Brachial Plexus and Subclavian Artery
Do You Have A Trigger Point Under Your Skull Or Is That Just A Cervical Myodural Bridge
Brace yourself for humility! This is a fantastic example of how hard it is to be sure of anything in medicine.
Cervical myodural bridges are an inconsistent anatomical feature of the neck in some people. They are connections between the spinal cord wrapping and the muscles of the upper neck basically some rogue gristle. Exactly what is connected and how tightly is debatable and is probably quite different from person to person, like all anatomy. The clinical implications are unclear, but they surely exist. CMBs probably explain why some people can flex their upper neck more comfortably than others, and it probably causes some headaches.
Obviously theres not much to be done about a CMB, but you can at least get some sense of whether or not this might be a problem for you just by strongly flexing your upper neck : if its uncomfortable, theres a good chance you have pesky myodermal bridges!
Or just trigger points. Which are also sensitive to stretch.
Its probably impossible to tell the difference between a neck that is sore because of trigger points and one that is sore because of a CMB. Some people might get suboccipital trigger points because of the irritation of a CMB always tugging on their spinal cord, so all of the above is definitely a possibility and a fine example of how trigger points in this area could be just about invincible.
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Efficacy Of Massage Therapy
Some studies have found that neck massage can provide some neck pain relief and improved range of motion, especially when performed by a trained professional a few times a week for several weeks. These results tend to be temporary.1,2
While some studies have found benefits for treating neck pain and stiffness with massage, other studies have not. Further complicating matters, there are a wide variety of massage therapy types and challenges with measuring how massage therapy is applied, which can make it a difficult treatment to study. Some research has indicated that applying a moderate-level massage is more beneficial than a light-touch massage.3
More research is needed to determine whether neck massage is beneficial for reducing chronic neck pain and stiffness, and whether the results can be sustained. Even though massage benefits may be temporary, it may still play a role in managing painful flare-ups and helping to improve quality of life.
Bonus: Forward And Side Stretches
Stand or sit with your back straight. Pull your chin down toward your chest, bending your head forward until you feel a gentle stretch at the back of your neck. Hold the position for a few seconds and lift your head back up. You can add a little bit of pressure and increase the stretch by gently pulling your head down with your hands, as shown in the picture above.
Stand or sit with your back straight and relax your shoulders. Gentlylower your left ear to your left shoulder until you feel a pleasant stretch in the right side of your neck. Make sure your opposite shoulder is down. Hold the position for a few seconds and lift your head back up. Repeat on the other side.
You can add a little more pressure and feel more stretch if you grab your head with your hand and gently pull your head down to the side.
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Appendix A: Is Trigger Point Therapy Too Good To Be True
Trigger point therapy isnt too good to be true: its just ordinary good. It can probably relieve some pain cheaply and safely in many cases. Good bang for buck, and little risk. In the world of pain treatments, thats a good mix.
But pain is difficult and complex, no treatment is perfect, and there is legitimate controversy about the science of trigger points. Their nature remains somewhat puzzling, and the classic image of a tightly contracted patch of muscle tissue may well be wrong. What we do know is that people hurt, and it can often be helped.
The Perfect Spots are based on a decade of my own clinical experience as a massage therapist, and years of extensive science journalism on the topic. Want to know more? This is the tip of the iceberg. Ive written a whole book about it
Not too good to be true.
Just ordinary good. Trigger point therapy isnt a miracle cure, but it is a valuable life skill. Practically anyone can benefit at least a little & many will experience significant relief from stubborn aches & pains. The first few sections are free.