Neck and Upper Back Pain Treatment, Massage, Exercise, Postures

 Neck and Upper Back Pain Treatment, Massage, Exercise, Postures

 

Neck pain can cause discomfort in your head, shoulders, and upper arms, which affect your performance and daily activities. Luckily, there are massage therapy techniques that can help ease these pains in just a few sessions. Physiotherapists have been treating neck and upper back pain using effective massage treatments. Here are some easy and amazing techniques to relieve your pain.

Massage Therapy

Often, massage therapy is used to help treat specific musculoskeletal conditions. Massage therapy helps patients learn techniques to make muscles relax and improves their range of motion. Common treatments include massage or manipulation of spinal vertebrae (spinal adjustment), mobilization of joints between vertebrae (mobilization), or extension (which moves a joint beyond its normal range of motion). When used along with exercise, a massage can be an effective treatment for low back pain. This therapy usually focuses on stretching muscles around your upper back and shoulders—strengthening these muscles can help reduce stiffness in your neck.

 

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1. General or Swedish massage

Massage therapy is designed to soothe muscles, relieve stress, and improve circulation. However, some massage techniques can increase muscle pain. If you're suffering from neck or upper back pain and are considering massage therapy as a treatment option, choose your massage technique carefully. Deep tissue massages—like Swedish or general massages—can worsen neck pain by overstretching tight muscles in your shoulders and upper back. To relieve pain without worsening it with inappropriate massage techniques, ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist who can help manage symptoms with gentle exercises that don't cause additional strain on stiff muscles.

2. Deep pressure on tissue massage

The massage technique for neck pain is to use pressure deep into the tissue of muscles to break up scar tissue or knots that have formed due to muscle tension. The deep pressure helps relax muscles to provide relief from symptoms and may also improve the range of motion. The amount of time spent doing these massages should depend on your doctor's recommendations; typically 30 minutes once a week is adequate for most people with mild symptoms. If you have severe pain, then treatments can be done daily or even several times a day if needed. A physician's approval will be required in most cases. Consult with your doctor before beginning massage therapy if you are taking any medications because some drugs can reduce blood flow or affect your body temperature.

3. Deep pressure on trigger point

Applying deep pressure to the triggering points rather than the entire muscle also helps in relieving the pain. Mostly, physiotherapists use this method by diagnosing the actual points from which the pain radiates.

4. Hot massage

Using hot pads or hot stones for massage is effective in relaxing the muscle and improves blood flow to that area. Hot stones are placed on specific areas of the muscles for better results. A hot towel can also be used for several neck exercises. Hot massage therapy soothes muscles and relieves the pain by increasing the range of motion and making it easy for you to move muscles. It also improves joint motion which can relieve inflammation caused by arthritis and similar conditions.

5. Cold massage

Choose a few acupressure points on your neck or back. Using an ice cube or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a thin cloth, gently massage these spots to reduce pain and discomfort. You can also try using an electric massager to stimulate acupuncture points that correspond with tension areas in your neck or back. If you don't have access to either of these devices, reach for a cream that contains menthol—it will work similarly.

It's best to do both hot and cold massage treatments during various stages of your recovery because each has its own benefits. For example, some studies show that hot treatments can temporarily increase the range of motion, but others suggest that only cold massage decreases swelling and inflammation as well as muscle spasms at rest.

Exercise Therapy

Regular exercise can reduce your pain levels and improve your flexibility. Properly performed exercises will also help stabilize or strengthen muscles supporting your neck, such as those along your upper back. Various types of exercise therapy can be used to alleviate pain caused by muscle tightness in these areas.

 

Posture Exercises

If you have neck or upper back pain, your posture is likely a factor. Making minor changes to your posture can reduce strain on your spine, providing relief. For example: Raise your monitors so they're at eye level (you shouldn't have to tilt your head up or down). If you have a laptop, use an external keyboard so you can elevate it to eye level (you may want to get a monitor arm as well). If your desk chair allows for adjustment of seat height, be sure that both feet are firmly planted on the floor while sitting upright with good posture.

 

Physical Therapist Treatments

Physical therapists evaluate and develop plans to manage your neck pain or upper back pain. Physical therapists may use a variety of techniques to target different parts of your body depending on what is causing your pain. Common physical therapy treatments include: massage, stretching exercises, exercise or strengthening exercises, and manual joint manipulation (i.e., massaging around a painful joint).

 

Medicinal treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants as prescribed by doctors are useful for relieving pain but these medicines are not preferable for long-term use due to their numerous side effects. It is better to take your physician`s advice regarding this as some pains occur due to medical issues like muscle sores and other internal injuries. But for all other cases, physiotherapy is the best and most effective treatment. Some studies also show that people who take physical therapy get more relief than any other method.