Have you ever been in a position where you couldn’t get your neck to move or have sore shoulders after a long working day?
Neck and shoulder strains are the most common complaints people face in stressful environments for example, at the workplace, or working at home.
Sore muscles can seem minor, but they can lead to fatigue and tiredness. It can also cause nausea.
If you’re suffering from shoulder and neck strains, it’s important to seek treatment.
So, what is the cause of shoulder and neck discomfort? What are the best ways to treat it?
The Pure External Muscle Strain
From the perspective of balance, the human muscle-fascia structure is not functioning independently. It is a part of the body. Thus, proximal muscles tighten and tighten over time. This causes discomfort and aches.
For instance, when an ankle sprain on the right side is still healing, and you walk on the muscular ligament, it creates an imbalance. The strains will then spread to the hip muscles.
Clinically, these proximal aches typically result from other more subtle issues. Therefore, only a skilled professional can treat the pain by addressing the base of the issue rather than just treating the symptoms.
Whatever the site the patient should get an assessment of their skeletal muscle balance prior to treatment.
Partial Strains
The people who work with their heads pointing downwards for long periods can be prone to strains on their necks in part. This includes factory workers as well as desk workers. Their constant position of keeping their heads down can cause stiffness and vertebral convex in the muscles ligaments at the seventh vertebra on the cervical spine (C7) and the 1st vertebrae of Thoracic spine (T1) at the neck’s lower part.
Another group of people susceptible to muscular pain in the upper part of their body is those who are elderly.
Based on Cleveland Clinic, as the human body ages, the bones get weaker. A low bone density or loss causes osteoporosis. As bones become weak and fragile, pressure is placed on the vertebrae in C7/T1 triggering dislocation and deformation, which results in chronic shoulder pain, neck pain and back pain.
Johns Hopkins Medicine stated that spinal disc herniation, also known as lumbar disk disease, can be caused by changes to the character of the normal disk. In the majority of cases, the cause of disk disease is due to age and the normal degeneration of the disk. The medicine school states that serious injuries can cause a normal disk to become herniated. The damage could exacerbate the already herniated disk.
In a study journal published by the National Library of Medicine, stability and balance are crucial in preventing injuries due to falls. The article states that falls can result in fractures in the bones.
The review mentions leg length discrepancy, sometimes referred to as anisomelia, is a condition in which the legs of both feet are not equal in the lower extremities.
The irregularity will later develop into the condition known as scoliosis. It’s when the spine turns to one side, which can cause neck and shoulder pain as well as migraines.
In addition, it is typical for modern-day people to have poor posture when they work from home or participate in lengthy Zoom meetings. If the upper part of the body is in a posture of hunching for long periods of time and tightness is felt of the myofascial (sensitive regions of tight muscle fibres) that are located in the top of the back develops. In time shoulder and neck pain can become part of regular complaints.
A lot of patients experience numbness and tingling in their arms and fingers, mostly because of cervical nerve compression (pinched nerves) due to tight muscle ligaments or vertebral deformities on C6/C7 vertebrae. This is similar to those suffering due to spinal disc herniation or lumbar disc disease.
The majority of spinal disc herniation sufferers believe that surgery is their only solution to ease nerve compression and numbness.
But, not all patients require surgery. Patients may undergo treatment to correct spinal misalignment and also releasing the ligaments that cause pain that are located on the opposite side.
Muscles that are stretched and tightened are at risk of injury due to leg length discrepancies.
How Effective is Exercise or TCM Treatment for Shoulder and Neck Inflammation?
In Western medicine, painkillers such as anti-inflammatory drugs or the use of muscle relaxants is prescribed to ease the pain. However, the relief is typically only for a short time. A lot of patients feel tired and angry. Some patients are fed up with taking medications.
The pain that sufferers feel usually is a result of a common factor. The pain they experience is recurring over a period of time, sometimes after the treatment of acupuncture. It’s like it’s never-ending. In traditional Chinese medical practices (TCM) the insufficiency or stagnation in circulation of oxygen and blood makes the body exhausted and weak.
The root of discomfort is the best method to get rid of the pain permanently. By incorporating Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture conditions and restoring the body at the same time.
A woman aged 55 had suffered for a long time with neck and shoulder discomfort and numbness throughout both of her fingers. The woman’s back seemed as rigid as a plank of wood. Her treatment included anti-inflammatory medicines as well as analgesics, relaxants as well as other medications. Additionally, she was receiving traditional Chinese treatment for medicine including acupuncture, therapy, and acupuncture. The patient was discomfort-free for a couple of days. Doctors find it difficult to manage.
After a thorough medical investigation, it was determined that the levels of her triglycerides (a kind of fat-lipid found in blood, which is derived from the use of calories) were at levels of up to 1,000 mg/dL (with the norm of 30150 mg/dL).
Therefore, the doctor prescribed her hypolipidemic medicine to lower her lipid level as she continued with her TCM treatment.
The chronic shoulder pain along with numbness, soreness, and tenderness was treated with Chinese therapy. Her pain has since reduced and does not recur.
Three easy at-home remedies to relieve neck and shoulder pain.
Method 1
The treatment of C7/T1 osteoporosis issues involves correcting misalignment and stretching stiff shoulders. You can try bending the neck forward or tossing and landing the ball in your head.
Method 2
Step 1: From an upright posture and sitting with your back against a wall set your feet at a hip distance apart.Step 2: With your eyes looking towards the future, press your body and head against the wall.
Step 3 Relax your upper bodyand then move it to the left, towards the centre, then to the right, then to the left. Repeat this process.
The higher the tilt the more inclined, the more comfortable. It relieves tension in the cervical spine and the thoracic vertebrae.
Method 3
The Dr. Chu Tsang-cheung is an internationally acclaimed Traditional Chinese medical (TCM) practitioner from Hong Kong, created the Chair Stretch to treat lower back discomfort and hunchback. It lengthens tendons of the back and hips, buttocks and legs. The thoracic spine naturally adjusts to its proper position by stretching these regions.
Dr. Wu Kuo-pin shows the chair stretch. (Courtesy from the Dr. Wu Kuo-pin)Step 1: Lay on the floor flat with your hips towards the wall, and your other leg elevated. You could also try the chair, stool against the wall, or even a door. Be sure that the stool and chair are both stable.
Step 2. With your palms facing upwards Stretch and lift both arms over your head.
3. Slowly raise your right leg, then lower your hips to the wall as tightly as is possible.
Step 4 Step 4: Place your left leg on the floor. Maintain the posture for 10 minutes.
Step 5 Change sides.
These easy stretching exercises will aid family members and you to enjoy pain-free days. However, patience is the key.
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