How to reduce your Neck Pain?

Neck pain is another common complaint that I see regularly in clients.  It is very common in people who spend a long time at a computer or on the phone.  There are two main factors to look at when it comes to neck pain, both of which aren’t actually focused on the neck.  They are scapulothoracic strength and thoracic mobility.  The neck can be very symptomatic, meaning it is where we feel the pain but it is not necessarily the cause of the pain.  If you have neck pain and you go and get a massage on your neck it may feel better for a little while but unless you address the underlying cause there is a good chance that your neck pain will return.  Let’s have a look at these two factors in more detail.

Scapulothoracic Strength 

As you can see, two of the main muscles responsible for moving the neck, the trapezius (traps) and levator scapulae (lev scap), attach to the scapula.  Therefore, the movement of the scapula will have a direct impact on the movement of the neck.  If the scapula is not well controlled and supported when it moves it will put extra stress on these muscles.  Also when these muscles try to move the neck if the scapula is not stable then the body will not feel comfortable allowing a lot of movement.  This is where restriction of movement comes into play.  It is quite common for clients to feel like they do not have a lot of movement through their neck and they blame this on ‘tight’ muscles.  But if I ask them to lie on the table and they allow me to move their head and neck they still have full range of movement.  That is because the restriction is not caused by ‘tight’ or short muscles but it is actually caused by weak muscles.  The body feels that if the head and neck move any further then it will not be able to control it so it does not allow the movement at all.

One of the key muscles in scapulothoracic strength is actually the trapezius.  The trapezius is a large muscles and it is divided into three sections upper, middle and lower.  The upper traps plays a big role in moving the head and neck as we’ve just discussed.  But the middle and lower traps are actually scapula stabilisers.  This one muscles both supports the scapulas and moves the head and neck.  Theraband pull-a-parts and W’s are great exercises to help build scapulothoracic strength.

Thoracic Mobility

Thoracic mobility is also a big contributor to neck pain.  A lot of emphasis is put on posture and how you hold your body.  The latest research would suggest that it is not so much how you hold your body but how long you hold it there for.  We shouldn’t be focusing on posture but rather we should be focusing on movement.  Firstly you need to have the full range of movement available and then secondly you need to use it regularly.  The craze at the moment is to get a standing up desk because sitting causes bad posture and therefore pain.  However, standing in a stationary position for a long period of time is just as bad as sitting in a stationary position for a long time.  That’s because it is not the position or posture that is causing the pain it is the lack of movement.  Even if you sat with ‘perfect’ posture all day you would still end up sore because our bodies are designed to move.  Thoracic posture has a direct relationship with neck position.  The larger the curve (kyphosis) through the thoracic spine the further forward the head is pushed.  Ensuring that you can still get back to a normal curve of the spine is important.  That is where mobility exercises for the thoracic spine are helpful.  We are going to look at thoracic extension and thoracic rotation.

If you are currently experiencing neck pain or if you want to ensure that your body is moving properly to prevent neck pain in the future then click here to book an appointment.