Self-Treatment for Headaches and Neck Pain

Often after the holiday “busyness”, general body aches including neck and headache pain can tend to increase. Several things to understand about head and neck posture and anatomy:

1. Our heads generally weigh 10-14lb

2. Forward head posture with shoulder slouching forward increases the compression on the small facet joints of the neck

3. The superficial larger neck muscles (suboccipital, upper trapezius and levator scapula) tend to stay tense and contracted too long and develop tender or “trigger” points in the muscles from overuse, diminished rest, altered blood supply and fibrosis or scar tissue between the muscle tissue.

4. Nerves exiting the sides of neck (cervical spine) have only small spaces to work within. If they get caught, tugged or pinched by intervertebral disc (“slipped disc”), boney changes around joint (bone spurs, arthritis) they can contribute to some of your pain or other symptoms.

5. Headaches can have many causes, often more than one issue is contributing to the headaches. Postural or muscle related and vascular or neurally controlled migraines are just some examples.

Treatment tips:

1. Ice packs for 15-20min to back of neck/suboccipital region

2. Practice gentle breathing in a comfortable head supported position. Focus on easy lengthening of your breathing out (exhalation) for approximately 4 counts(seconds) and breathe in (inhalation) for about 2 counts

3. Roll a small towel under base of head/neck with or without pillow support, depending on comfort to additionally support neck

4. Avoid reading lying on back in bed without enough pillow support for head and trunk, to keep arms/shoulders “relaxed”

5. See exercise examples to the right, performing painfree as needed.

Preventing Shoulder Injuries

The shoulder joint is one of the most flexible and widely used joints in the human body. The reason for the incredible amount of flexibility and motion of the shoulder is due to the limited stability of the joint by ligamentous, capsular, and muscular structures. For this reason, the likelihood of injury to the shoulder joint is higher than other joints in the body. Something as simple and lifting heavy groceries, or playing too much softball on the weekend can stir up a host of reactions in the shoulder, leading to overuse or irritation to joint structures. By following a simple regimen of stretching, gentle strengthening, and being mindful of posture and safe lifting strategies, the likelihood of developing a shoulder injury may be decreased.

The shoulder joint is an articulation, or gliding, of the upper bone in the arm, “the humerus,” and the bone of the upper back, the scapula or “shoulder blade.” The shoulder joint is similar to a golf ball resting on a golf tee; the top of the humerus is very large and round, whereas the section of the scapula is shallow and concave. Surrounding these two bones is a fibrous capsule and many ligaments which aid in keeping the bones of the shoulder relatively stable. There are four muscles surrounding the capsule of the shoulder that are referred to collectively as the “rotator cuff.”

As in figure 1, these muscles include the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These muscles work to reinforce the stability of the shoulder along with the ligaments and capsule, but also provide mobility that allows for motions such as throwing a baseball, starting a lawnmower, or stacking dishes in a top cabinet.

To protect and preserve all of the structures of the shoulder joint, it is important to warm up the shoulder prior to any physical activity, especially sports. This can be achieved by moving the arms in big circles slowly 10-15 times each direction, moving the arms while lightly jogging or walking, or applying a hot pack or heating pad to the shoulder area prior to participating in activity.

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TAI in Redmond Now Offering BreathWorks

How important is a breath?

We all know that the breath brings oxygen into the body but do you also know that the breath helps balance our body chemistry? When the breath is dysfunctional, our body chemistry changes. Symptoms may be subtle at first, but the effects of even slightly altered body chemistry can have significant negative effects on long-term health.

Over Breathing

Over breathing is a very common breathing problem. The body expires too much CO2 as a result of shallow and fast breathing. Body chemistry is altered in a way that can affect our physical and emotional well being.

What’s YOUR breathing pattern?

Sit comfortably, place one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach. Become aware of your breathing - feel the pattern and the movement.

• Are you breathing through your nose or your mouth?

• Which hand is moving first?

• Which is moving the most?

• How many breaths do you take in a minute?

Who can benefit from breathing re-training?

People with:

• Recurrent injuries • High stress levels • Headaches • Anxiety and depression • Back or neck pain • Repetitive strain injuries • Chronic pain • Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue • Unexplained symptoms in any body system • TMD (temporal mandibular disorders)

Athletes

Singers, Performers, teachers or speakers

Children or adults

If you're interested in learning more about TAI BreathWorks or interested in finding out if you would benefit from breathing re-training, please feel free to contact our clinic.

Visit our BreathWorks website.