Neck Pain Essential Feeling Gidea Park Romford

Most people suffer from neck pain at some time in their life. Very often neck pain is caused by tight muscles that may be the problem in themselves or trap a nerve which causes other associated pain in the neck (literally) such as radiating pain, numbness or tingling down your arm.

Most neck pain will go away on it’s own, but if you have a constant pain in the neck for a few weeks then it could be caused by a medical problem (examples below).

Acute neck pain

Acute neck pain means a pain in the neck that comes on quickly and hasn’t developed over time. This is usually the result of an action such as a car crash resulting in whiplash for instance or straining of your neck muscles if you sleep in an odd position.

Massage has a great track record of helping with this type of painful neck.

Chronic neck pain

If your pain radiates down your arm, and possibly into your hands and fingers, a frequent cause is a cervical herniated disc or foraminal stenosis which pinches the nerve in your neck. These symptoms may start suddenly or develop over time.

Generally the symptoms are temporary and can be treated successfully with nonsurgical care such as physical therapy and manipulations used in deep tissue massage.

Neck Pain That Is Related to Certain Activities or Positions

Neck pain can also develop over a number of years and may then occur during or after particular activities or neck positions. This is often caused by cervical foraminal stenosis which means there is usually an impingement of one nerve root on one side of your spine.

This type of spinal stenosis is an age thing. Wear and tear changes the composition of the joints of the neck and/ or discs. You can have these changes diagnosed by either an MRI or a CT scan with a myelogram.

What is referred pain and trigger points?

The scalenes are a group of muscles in your neck. When they are tight they can be a right pain in the neck! They are often involved in common neck pain and headaches. But, they also very often call what is referred pain. So this is pain that you feel in another area of your body but that starts from your neck area.

Instead of feeling neck pain, your arm or chest may hurt instead.

Referred pain effects are usual with all muscle pain or any other internal pain — for instance, heart attacks are felt in the shoulder and arm — but the scalene muscles in your neck area consistently give you unusually complex and variable, patterns of referred pain.

The results of referred pain can be odd, causing symptoms that most people never guess are coming from this area of your neck.

How does massage help neck pain?

Neck pain can be relieved by tight muscles being relieved. This can then lead to the pain in the neck being removed as tension is released and connective tissues, bones and nerves are also not being pulled out of alignment.

Massage can also help to relieve pain in the neck though by improving blood flow to the area. This is hugely important as this is how your body gets the relevant resources to the different parts of our system to help it run effectively. In improving blood flow, pain in the neck can be reduced because our body has what it needs to run effectively and heal if necessary.

Can massage therapy help with the above types of neck pain then?

Yes, as long as you have a trained and experienced therapist (which we are).

Where can I read more on the different types of massage therapies?

Why would I not be able to have a massage?

There are a few conditions which make deep tissue massage not ideal. In this instance there are number of other therapies that would be more suitable and we can help you to make the best choice.

The following conditions would not be suitable:

Infectious skin disease, rash, or open wounds

Immediately after surgery

Immediately after chemotherapy or radiation, unless recommended by your doctor

If you susceptible to blood clots as the clots risk being displaced. If you have heart disease, check with your doctor beforehand.

Pregnant women should check with their doctor first if they are considering getting a massage.

If you have a bruise, inflamed skin, unhealed wounds, tumours, abdominal hernia, or areas of recent fractures the massage will work around these areas.

Please Note: Deep tissue massage is a totally safe treatment complementary to other therapies (it does not replace medical treatment).If you have doubts, please speak to your GP before coming along especially if you have had your neck pain for over a few weeks.