Neck Pain, Posture, and Tension – 3 Self-Massage techniques

There are various causes of neck pain.  Posture and tension both affect the amount of pain felt in the neck.  Sitting poorly too long at a computer or other habits can severely tense the neck muscles and cause pain.

In this article, I’ll give a couple of massage techniques to combat neck tension.

We’ll attack the tension in a few ways.  There are many lymph nodes in the neck.  Gently (I mean gently!  They are fragile) massaging the lymph nodes is very soothing.  There are also tendons, and massaging the connection between the muscle and tendons triggers a relaxation reflex.

First, there is a meridian (in Chinese medicine) that runs down the back of the head along the center line.  You can take advantage of this by gently running your fingers from your forehead, over the top of your head, and down the back where it touches your shoulders.

The second massage technique is to pinch the large muscles on the back of the neck.  Don’t massage the spine.  Let’s call that off limits.  Gently pinch the back of your neck between you thumb and fingers.  Move up and down the neck, concentrating especially on where the muscle joins the skull, and where the neck meets the shoulders.

Massage technique number three is a lymphatic massage.  Fold the second joint of your fingers like in the picture. This creates a neat massaging surface.  With your fingers held together, press the massage surface against the side of your neck beneath your ear.  Begin gentle circles up and down your neck.  Repeat on the other side.

The last one is to get the rest of the flesh of the neck.  Gently pinch the flesh all around the front of the neck.  Get under the jaw, around the adam’s apple, all the way down to the collar bone.  Just give many, small pinches to relax this part of the neck.

These massages can be used as part of a regular exercise routine to impart relaxation to sore muscles or to deepen a relaxation that you have already induced.  You can also use it as a nice, relaxing break from sitting or standing too long.

Tag: neck pain posture

Category: Natural Back Pain Relief