Neck Pain Relief: How we assess the root causes and get you the best result

 

Neck pain is a super common concern. Physicians estimate that 7 out of 10 of us will suffer from it at some point during our lifetimes. As a licensed massage therapist, neck pain relief is the number one request clients make to me during intake. It’s often coupled with its close relative, shoulder pain — more on that below. Pain medications can help lessen the severity of the symptoms. However, they generally won’t be able to target the root of the problem.

A licensed massage therapist experienced in assessing the causes of neck dysfunction can help you get to the bottom of your pain. In order to address it most effectively during your visit. They can also help you understand some of the reasons why your neck pain started in the first place. And suggest simple lifestyle changes you might need to make in order to prevent it from coming back as a chronic issue.

Intake 101: Helpful basic information for neck pain relief

Like a detective trying to solve a crime, a medical massage therapist will want to know certain details about your symptoms. The more clear and precise you can be, the easier you can make it for your therapist to help. Some of you already know exactly what caused or causes the pain. To others, it’s a mystery. To help unmask the root culprits, we’ll ask a series of questions usually from totally open-ended to narrowing down specifics. Read more Neck Pain Massage Midtown

Neck Pain Massage Therapy: Designing Effective Lasting Treatments

 

Why effective neck pain massage therapy shouldn’t focus exclusively on your neck

Neck pain is a very common issue. Our phones and devices are constantly pulling our attention. Our head follows our eyes putting us in a “head forward” position. This pulls the muscles in the back of your neck into a constant stretch. And makes them work extra hard to fight the weight of your head. Muscles hate being stretched and working hard. So they yell at you with achy pain. Thankfully, neck pain massage in New York and can be an effective and lasting treatment…when done properly.

Does this sound like you?

a) Sitting at a desk staring at your screen for 40+ hours a week
b) Looking down at your phone multiple times a day
c) Reading your tablet in bed while propping your head up on a pillow

All of these habits tighten your anterior neck muscles (the ones in front). While simultaneously pulling on the posterior neck muscles (the ones in back).

For More Information: Neck Pain Massage Therapy

Our Top 5 Tips to Avoid Text Neck Pain!

 

The perils of “always on” technology:

Okay, so your “text neck” probably won’t actually kill you (unless you are texting and driving). However, it’s becoming increasingly likely that at some point in the next 5-10 years of tech use, you’ll develop a repetitive stress disorder. So we’ve compiled some tips for text neck to help your phone becoming a pain in the neck!

The phrase carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist pain) has been part of the collective conscious for several decades. It’s so common as a disrupter of productivity that it has spawned an entire industry of ergonomics solutions. These range from special keyboards to Star Trek styled full desk/monitor set ups. All keep you at your desk longer making trades, typing contracts, writing legal memos.

And then the 2000’s came along. Most of us jumped all in with smartphones and laptops and tablets.

Update September 2020: So now we’ve all got Zoom issues too! Not quite the same as text neck as we don’t have to look down. But a lot of folks are complaining about headaches and TMJ from so many meetings staring at a screen. All the more reason to play with strategies to lessen screen time throughout the rest of your day! In addition, masks are vitally important from a safety perspective…and also are contributing to some jaw, neck, and head tension. On the plus side, covid massage safety protocols are working great! So getting a neck pain massage in Midtown or Fidi to help is totally safe!

Suddenly we could be productive all the time.

Standing on the subway platform?

Let me check my email.

Taking the train in from CT?

Let me just go over those sales reports.

Date just went to the bathroom?

Let me text my assistant to make sure I’m set up for tomorrow’s board meeting.

Unfortunately, there are costs to constant device use that might change your mind about your phone and tablet.

Looking down at our phone, tablet, or laptop, pulls our head forward and down. This imbalances all the muscles holding up your head (ahem… text neck). These imbalances can cause any and all of the following:

• neck pain
• shoulder pain
• TMJ
• headaches
• low back pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• anxiety
• low energy
• depression
• memory loss

For More Information: Neck Pain Massage in New York 

Neck Pain Relief: How we assess the root causes and get you the best results

Neck pain is a super common concern. Physicians estimate that 7 out of 10 of us will suffer from it at some point during our lifetimes. As a licensed massage therapist, neck pain relief is the number one request clients make to me during intake. It’s often coupled with its close relative, shoulder pain — more on that below. Pain medications can help lessen the severity of the symptoms. However, they generally won’t be able to target the root of the problem. 

A licensed massage therapist experienced in assessing the causes of neck dysfunction can help you get to the bottom of your pain. In order to address it most effectively during your visit. They can also help you understand some of the reasons why your neck pain started in the first place. And suggest simple lifestyle changes you might need to make in order to prevent it from coming back as a chronic issue. 

Intake 101: Helpful basic information for neck pain relief

Like a detective trying to solve a crime, a medical massage therapist will want to know certain details about your symptoms. The more clear and precise you can be, the easier you can make it for your therapist to help. Some of you already know exactly what caused or causes the pain. To others, it’s a mystery. To help unmask the root culprits, we’ll ask a series of questions usually from totally open-ended to narrowing down specifics.  

Basic Questions with New Clients

For instance, we might start with open ended questions such as: 

How would you describe the pain?

Neck pain can range from dull ache that doesn’t let up to a sharp, stabbing sensation that comes on only during certain positions or movements.

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Working Below the Knee May Help Your Neck Pain

Rachel Simhon

Rachel Simhon, LMT and featured therapist of the month tells us why working below the knee can relieve neck pain. Don’t believe it? Take a look yourself!

Why did you get into massage therapy?

My background as a yoga and Pilates instructor specializing in pain management and injury rehabilitation inspired me to pursue a career in massage therapy. I’ve always been a very hands-on movement instructor. Manual therapy felt like a natural extension of the sort of work I was already doing. I also very much experience the world around me through touch! It made sense to take a step further, seeking formal training in a modality where I could focus on that. Keep reading to learn about the connection between your neck pain and everything below the knee!

Most common pain your clients experience?

The most common pain issue clients report to me is neck pain & shoulder pain. However when clients are on the table, everywhere below the knee frequently seems to be the most aggravated. This isn’t a coincidence. I often find a relationship between forward head carriage and tension in the calf muscles. I always do a thorough movement assessment at the beginning of an appointment. This helps me to see how the client is and isn’t able to move.

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5 Self Massage Moves for Back and Neck Pain

Whether it be to work out sore muscles, help relax your tense body, or simply because it can clear your mind, a massage works wonders. While getting weekly, biweekly, or even monthly massages from a licensed massage therapist in New York City, or any city, might seem like the only option, in fact, you can actually practice self-massage therapy. It helps you along with a licensed massage therapist. Doing these self-massage techniques can help to complement the therapy you’re doing with a licensed therapist. Whether you are experiencing chronic neck pain or excruciating back pain, save yourself the time and money and learn different self-massage moves.

• Back of the Neck Pain

Neck pain can be one of the most irritating things to deal with because of the delicate area that it sits, between the back and head. Self massage can do wonders for this area to supplement a neck pain massage in New York. To help soothe this pain, take two to three scarves or towels and maneuver them into a braid-like shape. From this point you will place them behind your neck and move it up and down, helping to release tension.

• Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain can be caused by many different things, including

• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Shoulder problems
• And many more issues.

To correct this yourself, stand against a wall and place a tennis ball between your justify shoulder blade and spine. Once this is set up, press your body against the ball and move up and down and side to side, keeping it relatively in the same area. After this is done, repeat it on the right side and your upper back pain should begin to lessen.

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Neck Pain Massage Therapy: Designing Effective Lasting Treatments

Why effective neck pain massage therapy shouldn't focus exclusively on your neck

Neck pain is a very common issue. Our phones and devices are constantly pulling our attention. Our head follows our eyes putting us in a "head forward" position. This pulls the muscles in the back of your neck into a constant stretch. And makes them work extra hard to fight the weight of your head. Muscles hate being stretched and working hard. So they yell at you with achy pain. Thankfully, neck pain massage in New York and can be an effective and lasting treatment...when done properly.

Does this sound like you?

a) Sitting at a desk staring at your screen for 40+ hours a week

b) Looking down at your phone multiple times a day

c) Reading your tablet in bed while propping your head up on a pillow

All of these habits tighten your anterior neck muscles (the ones in front). While simultaneously pulling on the posterior neck muscles (the ones in back).

Continue reading

5 Reasons to Make Massage Your Monthly Routine

There are a lot of great reasons to make massage therapy in New York a regular part of your self-care routine. Massage has tons of benefits!

Here are our top 5...

Alleviate Pain

Working late nights while sitting in front of the computer for hours is a surefire recipe for muscle imbalance. When the body is overworked it aches all over. Left untreated, this will lead to chronic pain. There is almost nothing worse than feeling pain, stiffness and achiness. Especially on a cold day!!!

Many of us live with pain in today's high demanding society, especially in busy cities like New York. Eventually your body maxes out your pain threshold. For most, that's when you’ll break down and visit a professional, such as a massage therapist in New York, acupuncturist, physical therapist, or chiropractor.

By making massage therapy part of a regular routine, you can help get ahead of the curve and prevent chronic pain from building up. Try switching your mindset. Instead of only getting massage therapy in New York when you have a major acute issue, schedule preventative monthly massage. You’ve been pushing so hard at work...don’t you deserve a nice massage?

Relieve stress and anxiety 

In today’s modern world there are more stressors than ever. We are getting less sleep and staying up longer due to work deadlines, children, school, family issues, environmental issues.

Massage can be a great to decrease stress and anxiety. Bonus...this will help your body’s other systems like digestion and immunity function better. Massage therapy can help engage the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and digest” system) which your body needs to go to to restore.

Your parasympathetic nervous system is the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system (your “fight or flight” system). The sympathetic nervous system prepares your body for stressful situations. It pumps you with adrenaline and increases your heart rate and breathing. This is very useful and necessary if you are being chased by a lion. Less so when you are stressing over that report that’s due on Friday.

As New Yorkers, we tend to stay stuck in our sympathetic nervous systems...all the time.

Which is really not good for the body in the long run. Your body doesn’t get the rest it needs to heal. Having regular massage therapy in New York restores your ability to switch back to rest mode more easily. It can help you sleep better and handle stressful situations more calmly.

Decrease Tension Headaches and Migraines

Quick fact (According to the Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology): "Tension headaches, by far the most common type of headache people experience (90-92%), these are triggered by muscular tension, bony misalignment, postural patterns, eyestrain, temporomandibular joint disorders.”

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BENEFITS OF MASSAGE – BODYWORKS DW

Massage therapy is a treatment option that continues to grow in demand as well as popularity. By scheduling an appointment with a massage therapist New York office, you will have access to a mainstream approach to pain management as well as dealing with certain issues such as circulation, tension, reducing stress and relieving anxiety. There are many benefits to massage and learning more about how you can feel better can show you that massage is an avenue worth exploring.

Relaxation

For most people, the word massage is associated with relaxation. As the body becomes tense and under a great deal of stress, cortical is created. cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause one to gain weight, have trouble sleeping, encounter digestive problems and headaches. With the help of a massage therapist Midtown office, these issues can be relieved.

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WAYS THAT MASSAGE CAN HELP NECK PAIN

Neck pain is one of the most common complaints we massage therapists hear from clients. It makes sense…we do so much with our head and neck. Modern technology has only made this worse. We are constantly pulling our heads forward and down to look at phones, tablets, and laptops. This creates muscle imbalances that show up as achy pain in the back of our necks and shoulders.

Are You Suffering From Chronic Neck Pain?

If so, the good news is that most of our clients find relief from chronic neck pain by enacting small but meaningful lifestyle changes. In addition, integrative medicine such as massage therapy can make all the difference. Check out this study on therapeutic massage for neck pain published by the NIH (National Institute of Health).

Here’s how massage for neck pain can help you live pain free.

Discovering the Sources of Your Neck Pain

A great massage therapist doesn’t just massage your neck muscles. They will do a thorough intake before they start and listen to you describe your pain. We often engage in habitual movements that cause stress without realizing it. Your therapist can help you discover what patterns contribute to your pain and give you simple but effective ways to break those patterns.

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