Can Massage Decrease Neck and Shoulder Pain?

Day in day out we see people our remedial massage clinics complaining of neck and shoulder pain. The typical story is along the lines of - It's been there forever. It gives me a blinding headache and I can't get rid of it!  

They complain of pain at the back of their head, headaches, tightness across the shoulders and/or this really annoying spot between the shoulders that they just can't seem to get rid of! So what can be done? 

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How Massage Can Decrease Neck Pain?

​ First we need to understand 'WHY!'

​At Just Knead It - Sports and Remedial Massage we look at all aspects of your body that could be contribution to your neck and shoulder pain and/ or tightness:

• Posture at work, home, in the car and when using a phone. Is the position of your neck and shoulders contributing to your pain? What is your neck and shoulder posture like when you're down the Facebook rabbit-hole? How are you sitting on the couch when you're binge watching Netflix for hours on end? All these factors can contribute to how you are feeling.  
  
  
• We assess your range of motion ​in your neck, shoulders and upper back. We identify any underlying problems that might need to be treated by remedial massage techniques or referral to another health practitioner. We look at your joint movement and take into account  underlying structures such as nerves that could be impacting on your muscle tightness. 
  
  
• We look for muscle weakness in your body that might be causing other ones to work harder and become tight. Often strengthening these at the same time as having a massage to loosen the others off can be an effective course of treatment. 
  
  
• We take into account additional factors like stress as well as work and home life that could all be contributing to that neck and shoulder pain.  

Our goal is to look at the body as a whole and work out what is the best plan of attack from a remedial massage perspective. 

Then it's onto HOW we do it! 

Remedial Massage and Myotherapy utilise a variety of techniques to help with neck and shoulder pain. After a thorough assessment we create a plan of attack specific to you. In general we massage deep into muscles of your neck, shoulders and the front and back of your upper spine that we have identified at tight. We also use a variety of additional techniques to tailor your massage to your needs. 

These Remedial Massage and Myotherapy Techniques include: 

• Trigger point therapy which aims to find specific points in the muscle of your neck and shoulders that have a firm, palpable node. We put pressure onto these areas which can help to loosen the muscle. 
  
  
• Joint Mobilisation - Remedial Massage Therapists and Myotherapists are able to perform up to Grade 4 Joint Mobilisations. Often joints in your neck and upper back can be stiff. Getting these underlying structures moving can help to improve how you feel as well as improve the over all range of motion in your neck. 
  
  
• Assisted Stretching & Muscle Energy Techniques (METs) - If you have ever had someone else stretch you out before you will understand how effective this can be to make you feel good and get you moving better. Remedial massage therapists and myotherapists are trained in effective stretching and MET's of the neck and shoulders, which can assist in improving range of motion in joints and muscle tightness. 
  
  
• Deep Tissue Massage - Massage itself can be an effective tool. As you work along a muscle you break up tiny adhesions, which can be contributing to tightness. You are also working on the fascia around the muscle which can be shortened causing the muscles to feel tight. Necks usually respond well to this type of treatment. Since all of the nerves that innervate your arms come from your neck and upper back - Often loosening off these muscles can be an effective addition to a remedial massage treatment for neck and shoulders.
  
  
•  Exercises - We know! No one wants to do the exercises but deep down these are what matter for long term results! You are welcome to come back to us as often as you like. However, if you want long lasting relief and to avoid having to get as much massage treatment performing  the exercises and home stretches/ triggers that your remedial massage or myotherapist gives you can help to give you long term relief! For some of the stretches that we may recommend check out our neck and shoulder stretching page. 
  
  

Remedial massage is an effective tool in the treatment of neck and shoulder tightness. The key is to understand why your neck and shoulders are getting tight in the first place and address those underlying factors as well as give you short term relief. 

At the end of the day our goal is to get you pain free as quickly as possible. If we can't help you we will refer you to one of our trusted allied health practitioners. ​

If you are in pain or feeling tight give us a call. You can find our massage booking and contact details on our Contact Us page.

Looking forward to helping you with that neck and shoulder pain!