If you work in an office, do manual labor, or simply have a lot of stress in your life, chances are your upper trapezius muscles are constantly tight.
WHERE?
• The Trapezius muscles that across the tops of your shoulders.
As the trapezius is an important neck muscle, any erratic activity in the sternocleidomastoid, suboccipitals, scalenes, longus colli, levator scapulae, or many other muscles will have an effect on its status.
WHAT?
• Tight trapezius muscles have a nasty habit of limiting your neck, arm, and upper back movement.
When you can soften and release this area, you'll likely find you feel better, you've improved your upper body posture, and have increased your energy.
TRIGGER POINTS:
• Myofascial trigger points here lead to tension headaches, with sharp pain felt in the temporal bone and into the masseter, behind the eye and ear (on the same side), and along the side of the neck.
** Occasionally, pain will travel to the back of the head, and a burning pain will be experienced down into the vertebral side of the scapula and middle back. **
Common problems when muscle is chronically tight:
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Headaches
INDICATIONS:
• Chronic tension and neck ache, stress headache, cervical spine pain, whiplash, tension/cluster headache, facial/jaw pain, neck pain and stiffness, upper shoulder pain, mid-back pain, dizziness, eye pain & emotional stress.
CAUSES:
• Habitual postures
• Work
• Stress
• Neck problems, shoulder muscle weakness
• Use of mobiles phones / tablets
• Scoliosis
• Sports related (e.g. Tennis & golf
• Playing musical instruments.
HOW TO RELEASE USING SELF-MASSAGE:
1. Beginning at the base of the neck, use one hand to knead the muscles located at the top of the shoulder on the opposite side (of the hand you're using.) The action is similar to kneading bread dough.
2️. Work with a slow, rhythmic action, moving out toward the arm in increments. Use a pressure that is deep enough to make a difference, but still feels good (and safe.)
3️. Repeat 2 to 3 times on that side and then do it again on the other shoulder.
4. Relax!
