How to relax the internal muscles of the neck. How to achieve relaxation of the muscles of the neck and upper back. Myofascial pain syndrome

Do you have VSD? Panic attacks? Dizziness and fatigue? Or all this at the same time? Pay attention to your neck. The reason may be this.

If you are tormented by headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, black dots before your eyes and other troubles with the body, then you may have severely clamped neck muscles. In this article, you will learn how to get rid of muscle clamps in the neck and most importantly - how to do it safe and effective.

Why do you think the number of people suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia has increased so much lately and, as a result,? Moreover, these people are often quite young, and it is somehow inappropriate to talk about age-related changes.

I think you yourself know the answer. It's all about our modern lifestyle. Computers and smartphones are the main "killers" of the neck and the reason cervical osteochondrosis.

You look at today's youth - they walk down the street and endlessly blunt into their smartphones and move as if on autopilot. What kind of neck can withstand such constant stress?

Or this constant sitting at the computer for many hours in a row. No cool and sophisticated computer chairs will help here. No wonder they say today that long sitting is the new smoking. The immobilized muscles of the neck and shoulders pinch the vessels, causing overwork, and can even cause damage to the central nervous system.

There is an established expression - "text neck". And not only users of smartphones and tablets are subject to it, but also everyone who sits at a computer for a long time.

The second reason is, of course, a huge mass of various stresses that accumulate like a snowball. As a result, a person unconsciously seeks to hide, pull his head into his shoulders, close himself from everything and everything. The typical posture of such a person is that the shoulders are raised almost to the ears, the back is stooped, and the head, on the contrary, is thrown back.

All this leads to chronic stiffness of the neck muscles and the corresponding symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis: headaches, dizziness, “whistling” in the ears, darkening of the eyes and other troubles.

Clamped neck muscles and headaches what to do?

In my last article, I already talked about what muscle clamps are, where they come from and how to deal with them. There are also many links to relevant articles and videos with exercises.

However, with regard to the muscles of the neck, they should be discussed in more detail, because the place is thin, and improper work with it is fraught with complications.

What you need to know about the cervical spine

The main commandment of the healer - do no harm! The same applies to the patient himself, if he decides to work independently with his own body. If we talk about the neck, then here this commandment must be multiplied by at least 10.

Authors various techniques on working with the neck can be divided into two opposing camps. Some advocate active torsion-rolling of the neck, stretching, massaging, and in the most gentle case - post-isometric relaxation where no clear movement is observed.

Others, on the contrary, argue that in no case should you turn your head, and in general, do not climb into your neck yourself, but go urgently to the doctors, they say, they are smarter and know everything.

The truth, as always, lies in the middle. Too active rotation of the head, of course, is not useful, as is the appeal to doctors, who by no means know exactly what they are talking about.

Since my blog is dedicated to finding solutions to life's problems on my own, here I will only consider self-help techniques when working with the cervical spine.

And the first thing to consider is instability of the cervical spine. So that you know, it is seen in the vast majority of people who have certain problems with the neck.

As you probably know, a person has 7 cervical vertebrae in total. In most people, the first two on top and the last two on the bottom are usually pinched. In this case, most often the entire thoracic region is clamped (hence the stoop).

Tightness does not mean that the spine is jammed. Clamped small deep muscles that connect the vertebrae. They are the ones that restrict movement.

But somehow you have to turn your head! So we turn our neck at the level of 3, 4 and 5 vertebrae. As a result, the following picture is observed: 1, 2, 6 and 7 vertebrae are clamped, and 3, 4 and 5 dangle between them as they like. This is called instability of the cervical spine.

The consequences of such instability are obvious - this just leads to many problems that were voiced at the beginning of the article. But through these vertebrae pass the cervical arteries. And any clamp is fraught with a violation of the blood supply to the brain, corresponding glitches, accelerated degradation and subsequent transformation into a stoned fox.

What exercises to do with cervical osteochondrosis?

What to do if the neck is like in chains? So, returning to active exercises with the neck, including the post-isometry that is common today (this is when you rest your head on your palms and press on them, but the head remains in place) - don't do it randomly!

If your neck is unstable, then such exercises will simply lead to even more looseness. Do you need it? No, don't! Therefore, we do everything very carefully, slowly and in every possible way protecting our neck.

No sharp turns, tilts and torsion of the head! It won't do you any good, it will only exacerbate the problem. Some authors recommend doing it slowly and lingering at the extreme points for a long time. It helps to stretch tight muscles. But it's easy to overdo it and pull too hard. As a result, the muscles can spasm even more.

Most the best way- the same post-isometric exercises. But! Not with the emphasis on the forehead or the back of the head in the palm of your hand. It is not right! So you can easily move the vertebrae with a "ladder". If you hold your head back, then hold your neck with your palms and lower part the back of the head, not the back of the head. Then the vertebrae will not move.

In general, the most perfect exercise- this is not to rest your head on your hands at all, but simply lie on the floor and raise your head, fix in this position for 10 - 15 seconds, then lower your head and relax. Lying on your side, you can not move your head at all, just hold it straight for the same 10-15 seconds. Do each exercise 5-6 times. It's all!

In his book Yoga. The Art of Communication” Victor Boyko recommends doing this simple exercise to strengthen the neck muscles not for 10-15 seconds, but until an unpleasant sensation appears. As soon as it appears, you immediately finish it.

You will be surprised that in the position on the back and on the sides you can quite normally hold your head up to 2 minutes or longer, but in the supine position you can hardly hold out for more than 30 seconds. This indicates weakness in the anterior muscles of the neck. And since they are weak, they compensate for this weakness back muscles and therefore they overexert themselves.

Massage and kneading of the neck muscles

In addition to exercises, you should also do self-massage of the neck muscles. There is nothing complicated here. The main rule is not to rush, do not press hard and do not rub like a washcloth in a bath. Hands must be warm. How to do it - everyone knows. It will be good to lubricate your hands with any massage oil so as not to really rub the skin.

First, you should make light stroking movements with your hands from top to bottom, from the back of the head to the back and from the middle of the back to the shoulders. When the muscles warm up a little, you can begin to slowly knead them and push through with your fingers, moving all the same from top to bottom and from the center to the periphery.

The most tense muscles are the so-called short extensors of the neck. They take on all the burden of holding the head. But the long extensors, which are actually supposed to do this job, are literally atrophied in most people. And besides, in these long extensors, and in the trapezoid too, a large amount usually accumulates trigger points, which also need to be thoroughly massaged.

The best way to describe it in his video Anton Alekseev. Recommend!

Straight posture against muscle clamps in the neck

And finally, let's talk about even posture. Everyone knows that this is right and necessary, but they just slouch anyway. Vladimir Pavlukhin spoke very sensibly and clearly about the effect of stoop on the muscles of the neck in his book “Yourself a chiropractor”. Here is what he writes:

“... Very often, the installation of the neck in an extensor position [When the head is, as it were, thrown back. - approx. mine] occurs in people with stooped posture (figure c)

This becomes clear if you imagine the vertebrae as cubes stacked in a column. If the lower cubes are shifted in one direction, then in order to maintain balance, the upper ones must also be shifted - only in the opposite direction.

Approximately the same thing happens with the neck, if the backward deflection (stoop) is increased in the thoracic region. In order to keep the head in balance, and bring the line of sight to the horizon, our vestibular apparatus gives the command to “unbend the neck”.

Therefore, in people with postural disorders, the neck is initially in the same position as in a person with normal posture, who raised his head and looked up at the sky ... "

You understand? Stooped people seem to look up all the time. What kind of tension in the neck accumulates over time?! Here you try to stand for at least 5 minutes, throwing your head back. At best, the neck will quickly get tired, otherwise the head will spin out of habit. And stooped people always have such a pose. Always Carl!!!

And how rightly notices

And now you can imagine what will happen if a person with such a spine tries to do, say, aerobics and starts to turn his head. Turns in such a neck will be carried out with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, before treating your neck, pay attention to your posture.

findings

1. Before embarking on any exercises to remove muscle clamps from the neck, make sure that everything is in order with your posture. If not, go ahead and fix it, and only then take on the neck.
2. Not all neck exercises are created equal. Almost completely useless and even harmful any rotation of the head, especially in a circle. Don't do it!
3. Do not forget to knead and massage the neck and trapezius muscles more often. Often, ordinary self-massage with your hands or “rolling out” with the help of tennis ball can significantly reduce or completely eliminate muscle tension in the neck.
4. Post-isometric exercises are useful, but they also need to be done wisely. The safest and most effective option is to lift and fix the head in a prone position on the stomach, back and sides. In this case, in the position on the side, it is enough just to keep the head straight.

I hope this article helped you deal with muscle clamps in the neck. Bookmark it so you don't forget and share it on social media.

Acupuncturists recommend three techniques that do not require special knowledge or experience to relax your neck muscles

Three techniques to relax your neck muscles

If your neck muscles are strained or stretched, there are a few things you can do to help relieve the condition. Acupuncturists recommend three techniques that do not require special knowledge or experience to relax the neck muscles.

Anything that can safely relieve muscle tension increase range of motion and improve blood circulation in the affected area, will help the healing process.

Manual neck traction

Gentle neck traction can often ease and lengthen tight muscles, allowing pinched nerves or pinched blood vessels to relax. Solid muscles will compress and squeeze everything that surrounds them. The essence of traction is to create more space and relieve pressure, improving blood flow to the muscles of the neck, ligaments and tendons of the affected area.

Here is one of the mostsimpleways to do it:

• Lie on your back and place a rolled-up hand towel under the occiput. This is rear end skull, which is rounded in the direction from the neck.
• Have your helper pull the towel straight towards you. Try to keep him in this position for at least three minutes.
• Repeat this exercise 2-3 times a day until you feel relief. Sometimes a great result comes after a few minutes.

Hydrotherapy

Epsom salt can be very helpful in relieving muscle pain. It must be remembered that the real name of Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. In addition to other properties, magnesium reduces the rate of calcium binding after muscle contraction. Something as simple as Epsom salt can be a great way to help relax a tense muscle.

It's very easy to do this:

• Add 2 cups of Epsom salt to a tub filled with warm water.
• Immerse yourself in the bath so that the water covers your neck for 15-20 minutes to allow magnesium to be absorbed through the skin.

acupressure points

An acupressure/acupuncture point used specifically to treat a tense neck is located on back of the hand between two bones just below the knuckles of the index and middle fingers.

How to use this point to treat a tense neck:

• Massage the point on the arm opposite the area on the neck that hurts. If the neck hurts on the right side, massage the point on the left hand. You need to massage this point by pressing on it with your fingertip, applying enough pressure to feel a little pain at the point.
• Continue to press on the point, making small circular motions with your finger.
• While stimulating the acupressure point, rotate your head from side to side. You should gradually observe a slight increase in the range of motion, at the same time the pain should decrease.

Sometimes, especially in older people, the impact on the acupuncture point may not give results for a long time.

Do not give up. It may take 40 minutes to fully restore range of motion and get rid of pain.

The above ways to relax the muscles of the neck are not miraculous universal remedies that will work for everyone. Sometimes it takes a little patience to notice the smallest progress in health restoration. Don't give up after the first try.published

(3 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Incorrect body position for a long time leads to severe spasms in the upper spine. Learning how to relax the muscles of the neck will be useful for everyone. No one is immune from pain.

Causes of pain

Sedentary sedentary image life affects human health. One of the main causes of pain in the neck is prolonged work at the computer. The muscles of the neck are in a state of tension for a long time. This causes symptoms such as: dizziness, shooting cervical region and headache.

Neck muscle tension needs to be treated. Otherwise, there is a possibility of pinched nerves or a hernia.

Before carrying out medical therapy, it is necessary to determine the cause of the disease:

• mechanical damage to soft tissues or the spine;
• lack of useful trace elements or vitamin B;
• hypothermia;
• psychosomatics;
• diseases of an infectious nature;
• long stay in one position;
• rheumatism;
• inflammation of the spinal column;
• pinched nerve.

In osteochondrosis, disorders of the musculoskeletal system are determined by a number of signs. Visually, this is manifested in excessive stoop. Discomfort from the neck area extends to.

With neurosis, muscle clamps are formed. The chronic form of anxiety provokes an increase in tension in certain muscle groups. The load on the spine increases. For this reason, pain occurs. It is much more difficult to diagnose the pathology caused by neurosis.

The provoking factors in this case are:

• quarrel with a loved one;
• overwork at work;
• internal unconscious experiences;
• conflicts in the team.

Muscle strain often leads to the development of hyperlordosis. Pathology is characterized by a defect in the spinal column, which can be determined visually.

Ways to get rid of pain

Tension in the neck leads to impaired blood circulation in the collar zone. If the muscles are not relaxed, serious diseases will follow. This is due to a violation of the functioning of vital organs.

To eliminate the problem at home, gymnastics is practiced, aimed at relaxing problem areas, massage and stretching. With insufficient effectiveness of the methods, therapeutic therapy is prescribed.

Exercises

• Cross your arms over your head in a sitting position. As you inhale, slowly lower your head, touching your chest with your chin. As you inhale, raise your head, slightly spreading your elbows to the sides. The exercise is repeated 10 times.
• Sitting on a chair, carry out alternate tilts of the head to the sides. When tilted to right side, raise left hand, when tilted to the left - right. Requires 10 repetitions.
• Bend your knees in a standing position. As you inhale, stretch your arms forward, clenching your hands into fists. As you exhale, rotate forward. After 10 repetitions, the exercises are repeated, but the arms rotate back.
• While inhaling deeply, tilt your head down and hold your breath. In this position, shrug your shoulders 3 times. As you exhale, return your head to its original position.
• Sitting in Turkish pose, cross your arms behind the back of your head. When tilting the head towards the chest, make turning movements from left to right.

Exercises are performed in a relaxed environment. It is enough to devote up to 20 minutes a day.

Stretching

Read other blog articles.

If you sit at a computer for a long time, pushing your head forward, or lower it, looking at a smartphone, the neck muscles have a hard time. Constant tension causes stiffness and pain.

Lifehacker collected exercises Yoga for chronic neck pain: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. , Yoga for Chronic Neck Pain: A 12-Month Follow-Up for stretching and strengthening the neck, shoulders and chest, which will relieve pain and help to avoid them in the future.

When Exercise Doesn't Help

This complex is not designed to treat specific disorders. If you have been diagnosed with osteochondrosis, herniated discs or other diseases, a doctor should prescribe gymnastics.

If the pain does not stop for several days, increases or is accompanied by headaches, nausea, fever and seek medical help as soon as possible.

What exercises to do

The complex consists of two parts: simple exercises for stretching and strengthening muscles and safe yoga asanas.

Exercise at least three times a week, and even better every day.

If pain occurs, stop immediately. After the exercise, the stretched area should feel relaxed and soft.

How to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the neck and shoulders

You will need a chair. Sit on the edge, straighten your back, lower and straighten your shoulders. Do each exercise for 10-15 seconds.

1. Turns and tilts

13. Transfer of hands behind the head

Grab the ends of the towel, pull it tight and move your straight arms up. Submit upper part body forward and take straight arms with a towel further behind the head.

How to do yoga exercises

Follow the rules carefully and do not hold your breath. Hold each pose for 30 seconds.

1. Half tilt forward with emphasis on the wall (simplified uttanasana)

Stand up straight at a distance of two steps from the wall facing it. Place your feet hip-width apart for comfort. From this position bend into hip joint and lean forward with a straight back to a 90° angle between torso and legs. Put your hands on the wall.

Try to straighten and stretch as much as possible. Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds.

2. Warrior Pose II (Virabhadrasana)

Stand straight, spread your legs wide, point your toes forward, raise your arms to the sides, connect and straighten your fingers.

Rotate your right foot 90° to the right. Bend your right leg at the knee to right angle or close to that, move the left one back. Distribute the weight between both legs.

Twist your pelvis, stretch your back, lower your shoulders. Try to open the pelvis and chest. Repeat the pose on both sides.

3. Twisting (bharavajasana)

Sit on the floor, bend your right leg at the knee, bring your lower leg out and place your heel next to your pelvis. Bend the left knee, place the left foot on the right thigh.

Distribute the weight between the two sitting bones, stretch the spine up. Put right hand on the left knee and turn the body and head to the left, grasp the left sock with your left hand. Repeat on the other side.

4. Child's pose

Get on all fours, connect your feet, and then lower your pelvis to your heels. Lean forward, straighten your back and stretch your straight arms in front of you, touch your forehead to the floor and completely relax in this position.

Pain in the neck or shoulder area was experienced by every person, even those with exemplary health, because from overwork in sitting position with an "abnormal" position of the spine, almost no one is spared. About how to relax the muscles of the shoulders and neck, constrained by spasms at home, will be discussed in the article.

General concept of spasms

A long stay in an unnatural position for the spinal column is fraught not only with the appearance of spasms and accompanying pain, but also with the appearance of a vicious circle effect, which multiplies the harmful process. A prolonged uncomfortable position of the spine leads to expansion or, conversely, compression of the intervertebral discs, which, in turn, has a pressing effect on the spinal roots and autonomic nerve endings.

And this provokes an even greater contraction of the neck muscles and a further increase in pressure, followed by the emergence of new muscle clamps and the activation of pain syndromes. In children, most often the occurrence of muscle spasms is of a slightly different nature and is due to the lag in the growth of muscle mass and ligaments from the development of the skeletal base. In addition, spasms in a child can be the result of cervical subluxations, infectious diseases, as well as sleeping on an uncomfortable pillow, the occurrence of myositis, or due to congenital torticollis.

Did you know? According to doctors, absolutely all people have more than a hundred attacks of pain every day, which are not felt only because the pain center located in the brain filters out small, in its opinion, painful manifestations and only allows truly disturbing ones to pass through.

Symptoms of occurrence

Symptoms of the manifestation of spasms of the neck and shoulders are quite diverse and are expressed in:

• hardness of spasmodic muscles, accompanied by pain;
• active or moderate twitching of the neck;
• stiffness and a feeling of heaviness in the same place;
• difficulty tilting or turning your head or being unable to do so;
• the appearance of edema in the hands in the morning;
• difficulty taking a deep breath;
• the formation of a coma in the throat.

• severe pain;
• numbness;
• stiffness of movements;
• tingling in the back of the head;
• dizziness;
• blackouts in the eyes.

Reasons for the appearance

In addition to long-term uncomfortable position of the spine, there are several other significant causes of spasms in the cervical or shoulder areas of the body, which are caused by:

• negative mechanical effects on the spinal column or muscles;
• deficiency in the body of vitamin B group or important minerals;
• diseases of an infectious nature;
• prolonged exposure to cold;
• neurosis;
• osteochondrosis;
• pinched nerve endings;
• consequences of rheumatism;
• inflammatory process in the spine.

Muscle spasm factors

These primarily include:

• osteochondrosis, as well as hernias and osteophytes;
• stressful situations and long-term mental experiences;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• muscle dystrophy, as well as the presence of meningitis, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis;
• consequences of injuries and sprains;
• injuries in children received during birth;
• prolonged static muscle tension.

Did you know? Women are able to withstand more severe pain than men, because the female sex hormone estrogen initially has pain-relieving properties.

Consequences of spasm in the cervical region

In addition to pain, a spasm of the cervical muscles is fraught with more serious consequences, expressed in:

• puffiness on the face;
• the appearance of early facial wrinkles;
• the occurrence of a second chin;
• the formation of folds on the sides of the neck;
• the appearance of the cervical withers;
• a noticeable disturbance of mental balance;
• pinched vagus nerve;
• deterioration of cerebral blood circulation, leading to insomnia, headaches and high blood pressure.

How to relax your neck muscles

To understand how to relieve tension in certain areas of the body, one should find the true causes of its formation. And since the causes of tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders are diverse, the ways to eliminate them are also different.

Medical method

Basically, medications solve problems with tense muscles in the neck and shoulders in three directions:

• antispasmodic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• anesthetic.

Ointments

The following ointments have the ability to fight inflammation, pain and spasms:

Pills

The following pills will help relieve pain:

injections

For injections, the following means are suitable:

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy treatment is carried out with the help of:

• electrophoresis;
• laser therapy;
• magnetotherapy;
• acupuncture;
• low frequency current.

• elimination of sensations of pain;
• decrease in the intensity of inflammation;
• relief of muscle spasms;
• elimination of edema;
• calming effect on the state of the nervous system;
• activation of the immune system.

Most often, in treatment sessions with electrophoresis, drugs are used in the form of:

• adrenaline;
• atropine;
• ascorbic acid;
• bromine;
• thiamine;
• lidases;
• histamine;
• diphenhydramine;
• iodine;
• novocaine;
• streptocide;
• phosphoric acid;
• ephedrine.

Massage

Massage, which has a quick antispasmodic effect, stimulates blood flow to affected clamps muscle tissue, thereby including recovery processes in them. At the same time, massaging problem areas has a beneficial effect on the psyche, improves sleep, and provides proper nutrition to the cervical muscle tissues.

In this case, during the massage, you should follow certain rules:

1. Massage should be in the direction from top to bottom, that is, starting from the lower end of the occipital lobe and ending with the shoulder joints.
2. It is necessary to avoid any kind of pressure, using exclusively stroking hand movements.
3. The neck must be massaged along with the forearms.
4. It is advisable to massage with both hands, alternating them or acting synchronously.
5. The back of the neck is massaged with palms.
6. With pinching movements, the thumb is located on one side of the neck, and the rest on the other side.
7. The massaging of the neck and forearms ends with stroking, which has a relaxing effect.

Physical exercises produce almost the same effect as massaging problem areas of the body. The whole difference lies in the fact that the exercises are performed by the patient himself.
The exercises themselves are very simple to perform and quite within the power of people without any physical training:

1. When tilting your head, you need to move it back and forth, trying to stretch the muscles as much as possible during 10 repetitions.
2. During tenfold rotational movements of the head clockwise and against it, you need to ensure that the chin is as close to the chest as possible.
3. You can tilt your head to the right and left shoulder in turn up to 20 times.
4. You need to make rotational movements with your hands with a maximum amplitude of up to 10 times.
5. To strengthen the neck muscles, it is necessary, while tilting the head to one of the shoulders, to slow down the movement of the head from the same side, and when tilting forward or backward, use both hands to counteract. Repeat the movements ten times.
6. When slowly lifting your head from a lying position, you need to hold your gaze on your toes for 5 seconds and lower your head to its previous position. This exercise also requires ten repetitions.

Important!At the same time, it must be remembered that exercises should not be performed to instantly relieve spasms, since in this state there is a danger of harming yourself even more due to incorrect movements.

Features of treatment for osteochondrosis and neurosis

The difficulty of dealing with spasms in the cervical and thoracic of the human body lies in the similarity of the observed symptoms with a radical difference in the causes of their manifestation in neurosis and, therefore, for proper treatment, it is first necessary to accurately establish the true cause of the symptoms.
The significant difference that exists can be clearly seen from the following observations:

1. With neurosis, a sharp increase in blood pressure is due to impaired functioning of the autonomic nervous system, and with osteochondrosis, hypertensive manifestations are caused by circulatory disorders.
2. The cause of neurosis is long-term stressful situations, and the formation of osteochondrosis is provoked external factors in the form of injuries or unnatural position of the spinal column.
3. Osteochondrosis is easily diagnosed using ultrasound, X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, and neurosis cannot be detected using equipment.
4. When the cause of spasms in the muscular tissues of the neck and shoulders is determined, the treatment is directed in the right direction in the fight against either osteochondrosis or neurosis.

Prevention measures

To prevent muscle clamps in the neck and shoulders, you should follow simple rules:

1. You need to constantly monitor the physical condition of your body, giving it a feasible, but regular physical activity.
2. When sitting for a long time, it is necessary to avoid staying in the same position of the body. To do this, it is recommended to change positions more often.
3. It is imperative to resort to an easy warm-up after sleep and during a break at work.
4. It is necessary to prevent hypothermia of the body and avoid drafts.
5. Nutrition should be as balanced as possible in terms of the presence of vitamins and minerals in it.

Important!If the first alarming symptoms occur, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Effective measures to overcome spasm of the neck and shoulders should be taken not only to relieve severe pain, but also to prevent more serious consequences for the body. And here preventive measures come to the fore, which allow not to bring the body to such an unpleasant and dangerous state.

Video: exercise for removing clamps in the neck and shoulders