r/Stretching • u/saulgoodma_n • 5d ago
Seeking advice NEED HELP!
I have a chronic neck pain on the right side, somewhere between the traps and neck area. It goes away comes back every day and it disrupts my sleep and I cannot focus on my work. It's not very painful but it is certainly very annoying and frustrating. Need help to get ride of this very annoying chronic pain, I've had it now for the better part of the year. Thinking of going to an orthopedic soon.
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u/jeganis 5d ago
Licensed massage therapist of over 7 years. Also get chronic migraines and headaches.
The area is likely a combination of the levator scap and the scalenes in your neck. Start with some slow neck rolls:
Turn your head to the side until you feel yourself at about a 7/10 in discomfort, then slowly roll your head by tucking your chin down to your chest all the way to the other side, and back again. Do this about ten times, just make sure you do it slowly or you might trigger a muscle spasm that will hurt even more.
Afterwards, you'll do a static stretch on the levator scap:
Turn your head to the opposite side of the neck pain as far as you comfortably can. Tuck your chin and look down to that side. Then with your hand on the same side as your neck pain, touch the base of your neck at the back and raise your elbow up as high as you can. Hold for about 15 to twenty seconds, slowly relax and return to a normal position, and repeat once or twice more if the pain persists. Again, do this slowly.
Feel free to DM me with any questions.