Dealing with Neck and Shoulder Pain

TRIGGER POINTS TO THE UPPER TRAPIZEUS

Most of my customers are seeking treatment for Neck and Shoulder pain. So many, that I now consider myself a specialist in trigger point therapy of the upper trapezius.

Trigger points in the shoulder restrict range of movement, create a feeling of tightness up the neck into the base of the skull, they bring stress into the body; affect your sense of well being, when left for too long cause headaches. After some busy stressful days at work people talk about having an 'attack'. This is a symptom of trigger points. The good news is after a couple of my treatments these attacks are going to be less severe, not hang around as long, and won't have you reaching for the aspirin. We can root out the cause of pain and manage it so it doesn't come back.

Trigger points that refer sensation like pins and needles down the arm and into the fingers are often treated by physiotherapists as nerve impingement. A couple of customers have told me how they had been prescribed Valium by their GP, and even a cortisone injection!

With my palpation skills I can locate the cause of referred pain in the soft tissue. Using deep tissue massage I break down knotted tissue, and improve blood flow into the area. Straight away this relieves pain and gives you an increased range of motion. A trigger point is like a knot in a piece of string, and pulling both ends of the string doesn't release it. Stretching doesn't work when you have a taut band of muscle caused by a trigger point. When we can target and deactivate the trigger point the taut band in the muscles relaxes. The shoulder drops and you can feel the tension gone. You can do simple things again like turning your head to drive or park the car. Sleep improves as you can get more comfortable on the pillow.

After making a start and treating the symptom first. Further treatments will be about improving posture getting the shoulder blades down the back in a more neutral position. With any shoulder injury all muscles coming off the shoulder blade are affected. Typically people sitting at a desk job have habitually tight chest, causes them to be round shouldered. At the end of a session you will be given some shoulder opening exercises and stretches.

The most effective and efficient treatment is trigger point needling which can produce amazing results. Everybody is different, I use my experience to determine how much or how little work needs to be done and alternate between Deep Tissue Massage, the use of Acupuncture Needles and other Neuromuscular techniques. Another factor is guarding, how the shoulders work against each other to prevent movement of the injured tissues. After a few sessions both shoulders get attention to balance things out.

Dene is located in Dun Laoghaire, south Co. Dublin. Call for an appointment today on 087 133 2405.