Four Tips on How You Can Relieve Neck Tightness and Discomfort

A muscle knot, also known as a Trigger Point, develops when muscle fibers tighten and contract. This can happen even when you aren’t using the particular muscle.

Why is the neck especially prone to muscle knots?

Activities like texting, scrolling through social media, and working at a computer or laptop eventually begin to negatively impact the neck muscles. Not being active enough and stress can also take a toll on the neck area.

Here are four tips on how you can relieve your knotted neck:

Trigger point self-massage

This involves pressing your knot to relax the tight muscle fibers.

  • Place your fingers on the knot
  • Apply firm pressure for 5 to 10 seconds
  • Release
  • Repeat for 3 to 5 minutes, up to 6 times a day. 

Heat or ice

Ice will help reduce inflammation in and around the knot, whilst heat will soothe and relax the muscles. Test out both treatments to see which works best for your pain. I advise you to try alternating between the two.

  • Always ensure you wrap the heat or ice pack in a towel or cloth to protect your skin
  • Apply the heat or ice pack to the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes at time
  • Repeat several times a day.

Shoulder shrugs

This exercise is brilliant at targeting the knots in your neck, shoulders, and spine.

  • Keep your chin up, facing straight ahead, and your neck straight
  • While you inhale, raise your shoulders toward your ears
  • Do the movement slowly so that you feel the resistance of your muscles
  • Exhale and lower your shoulders
  • Repeat 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Cat-cow Yoga Pose

This will stretch the neck and back muscles as you flex and extend your spine.

  • Begin on all fours
  • Place your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips
  • Inhale and drop your stomach down, lifting your chin to the ceiling
  • Exhale and round your back, moving your chin toward your chest
  • Repeat for 1 minute.

If the above stretches and exercises aren’t relieving your pain, please get in touch with me to book in your complimentary consultation at Enfield Osteopathic Clinic. We will be able to assess your body and provide the appropriate treatments needed to release tension in your neck and get you moving around as normal.

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