Neck pain is something that we all experience at some point in life, and it is not fun. Neck pain can manifest for very different reasons; it can be chronic, it can come and go, and it can debilitate our day. In this blog, we are going to look at the different aspects of neck pain. Cervical Anatomy – What’s In Your Neck? Firstly, we should understand neck anatomy. The neck is formed by the cervical vertebrae, which run from C0 to C7. Upper Cervical The first 3, so C0, C1, and C2, are a bit unique, given their position and to the muscle that they connect, they can be considered the upper portion of the cervical. Along those 3 vertebrae, we find the Occipital Muscle Group, which we discussed in this blog post. Lower Cervical From C3 to C7, indeed, we have the lower portion of the neck. Along those vertebrae, we find different muscle groups. Some of those connect cervical vertebrae to the thoracic ones, like Splenius Cervicis. Others connect the vertebrae to the scapula or to the skull, like Levator Scapulae and Splenius Capitis. Lastly, we have the upper portion of the Erector Spinae group, which connects the rib cage to the Cervical and Skull area. Like, Longissimus Capitis, Longissimus Cervis, Illiocostalis Cervis and Semispinalis Capitis. Not only muscles On top of all the muscles we mentioned above, the neck is also a busy junction of veins, arteries, nerves and ligaments. So now you may start to understand that neck pain is not only an issue that is muscle-related, but it could be from a combination of reasons. What Can You Do About It? Being in pain is not a fun thing. I can be debilitating and change your mood for the day. If you are experiencing neck pain or any type of pain, always consider this: Pain can be a result of inflammation. An inflammation that lasts 24 to 72 hours is just a body response that is under control. If pain lasts more than 72 hours, it is time to seek help. How Can I Help With Neck Pain? If your neck pain is not settling and you need help, choosing the right type of therapist can really change how your neck feels. At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, in Fitzroy North, when I get someone who presents with neck pain, the first thing I will do is go through their medical history, and I will look at a possible mechanism of action that leads to the neck pain being there in the first place. Once we have an idea, or more awareness of why neck pain manifests, we can consider what the best treatment plan is to go for. Is Massage Enough to Fix Your Neck Pain? Massage, or any form of hands-on treatment, including cupping, dry-needling, and even MLD, is a wonderful technique that can help in settling your symptoms and relieve the initial discomfort. But to really change the presentation and ensure that the neck pain is not a recurring presentation, we need to look into it a bit further, and most luckily, intervene with some form of mobility and strength exercises. Below is a brief breakdown of things that we may want to investigate and how we will address them. Mobility-Stability Joint Chain As mentioned above, the cervical area is composed of two groups of cervical C0-C2 and C3-C7, which are correspondingly mobile and stable joints Below your cervical, we then have the Thoracic portion of your spine, which is a mobile joint (T1-T12). Lack of mobility in this section would then put a lot of stress on your cervical stable portion (C3-C7), which would try to act as mobile, leading to facet joint irritation. History of Whiplash Whiplash is a form of trauma that can affect your cervical joint for years, unless proper rehabilitation is done. To restore your neck pain from a whiplash presentation, we will have to assess the chronicity of the presentation, which may start with some hands-on treatment, like mobilisation and deep tissue massage, and move on to strengthening exercises for the neck and mobility for the thoracic. Neck Pain And Headache Muscular tension headaches are a real thing, and they can affect your daily life, impairing your functionality and ability to deliver a task. Muscular tension headaches are not migraine, and hands-on treatment and exercises have the potential to get you out of pain and restore your well-being. Muscular tension headaches are a result of tension accumulating in your cervical and upper shoulder muscles, which refer pain to a specific spot on your head. FAQs
Monthly Archives: February 2022
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Feb
Massage appointments, how often? How often should I come for a massage appointment? Often I got asked this question, and the answer is not as simple as. A massage, that is Remedial Massage, Thai Massage or MLD treatment, has the aim to heal a condition or alleviate the pain. Well, at least that’s the main aim of those techniques. Said so, the second, but not less important task for a massage is to induce relaxation. Therefore, if you are aiming to get some relaxation, I would suggest considering getting a massage appointment regularly. Like, every 2 weeks, every month or every 2 months. Of course, depends mostly on finance. So, a regular massage appointment, allows the body and mind to aim for something positive. It is like a reward. On the other hand, if the message is not limited to relaxation time, then, you may need it more often. That’s the case when the client comes to the appointment that is in pain (99% of the time). If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. The fact that you are in pain can be a sign that the body issue has been there for a while. Indeed with a massage, we can alleviate the pain, but to actually fix the issue (if it’s fixable by the way) or to make the best out of what the condition is, we need to do more than one session. In fact, one session may release the pain for a couple of days, but then, as you go back to your daily routine, the pain would come back. Therefore, a series of close massage appointments, in a short time can actually help for the best. Another important aspect of pain management is exercise. Corrective exercises are a key role in expanding the time between one session and the next one. If you actually do the exercises, you can by yourself improve your body conditions, reducing the risk of injury and pain. In conclusion, the frequency for which you should attend a massage appointment is based on your needing. For a Remedial massage or a Thai Massage, you may wanna initially see the therapist once a week for the first 3 to 4 weeks. With MLD is different. With MLD the need for seeing a therapist can be more frequent. Obviously depending on the condition that has to be treated.
Feb
MLD and Sunburn. As already mentioned earlier, MLD stands for Manual Lymphatic Drainage and is a great technique to treat sunburn. Indeed MLD is a technique that works with a gentle touch and has a multitude of benefits, including the healing from sunburn. Firstly, we analyse what sunburn is about. So, a sunburn is the skin’s reaction to too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Here in Australia, the amount of UV radiation is higher than elsewhere in the world. As per result, in Australia, we have to be extra careful. If the sunburn reaches the 3rd degree of burn, medical attention is required immediately. During summer or even winter when we expose our skin to the sun. You can have a sign of sunburn within minutes from overexposure. The first symptoms are skin redness, burning sensation and pain to the touch. Long-term sunburn can lead to bad scar or even to skin cancer. If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. So, How MLD can help if I get sunburned? MLD thanks to the light touch, firstly, will avoid the patients being in pain during the touch. Furthermore, by activating the suction effect of the Lymphatic System, MLD boosts the healing process. This is possible by removing the liquid from under the sunburned skin area. The lymphatic system would then, clear up the excess liquid and would allow the skin to get oxygenated once again. Said so, when treating someone with sunburn, as therapists we always have to look for possible skin infections and other absolute contraindications. If the skin over the sunburn area is craked and infected, then we will have to wait for the infection to heal. In addition to this, if the sunburn is as bad as 3rd-degree burn, we may don’t wanna touch the sunburn directly, but applying MLD in a close area can still help the lymphatic system to be activated remotely or on the area affected. In conclusion, remember always to put sun cream before exposing yourself to sunlight. Put the cream 30 mins before having a bath. Either in the sea or swimming pool, in order for the cream not to be absorbed and not be washed away. Avoid the hottest hours. Check the UV exposure on the Victoria Government weather website (https://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/melbourne.shtml). Stay in the shade and drink plenty of water.
Feb
Altar within a Massage Clinic. As you may already know, part of my training was done in Thailand at Pichest Boonthumme Thai Massage School. That’s where I learn about Altar within a Massage Clinic Pichest, as already mentioned in a previous blog post, is a unique way of teaching. In fact, he doesn’t only share the massage knowledge. He included in his teaching a methodology of life. Included in this methodology there is the dedication to prayer and meditation. Even though I haven’t included the prayer yet in my experience, I did include the meditation. In order to do so, in order to build a stronger attitude toward those practices, at Melbourne massage and Treatment clinic there is a little altar the clinic. On the altar, based on the teaching of Pichest, I do expose my offer and memory to the Buddha, to Mamma and Papa’, and to the Teacher. In addition, I did decide to place objects or pictures that recall for me a special time, a memory o a person that someone, shared with me some teaching. Furthermore, just below the altar, there are the products that I sell as the Incenses. But you know what’s the funny thing about the altar present at the Home Clinic here in Blair St? Well, it was already there. I didn’t have to install it. If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. True fact is that, when we came for the house inspection, we right away address that room as the clinic, due to the presence of the wooden altar. A few days after we did move in, I did find out the truth about our neighbour that someone else, before us, already was running a massage studio in the same room. What a coincidence, right?! In conclusion, I am working on my way to improving my practice, and not as a massage therapist only, by taking the Myotherapy course, but also by improving my meditation practice and my prayer practice. I can’t define myself as a religious person, but even though I believe in trust and faith. Thanks again for reading my blog, Giovanni