The shoulder and neck working together
I have put the neck and shoulder together because there are so many structures in the neck that affect the shoulder and vice versa. Your shoulder blade was designed to slide across your ribs. There are muscles that attach to your shoulder blade from your back, arm, chest and neck. They help to control and stabilize movement of your neck and shoulders as well as assist with your breathing. Your tendons, muscles, ligaments and neutral alignment give your shoulder the support it needs to carry out all the movements it is capable of.
Your neck, balanced on top of your spine shouldn’t have to work hard
Your neck, if supported from below will balance perfectly on top of your spine and your neck muscles will only be needed for moving left and right and up and down. Modern life, with a lot of work and play in the seated position, this pulls your neck down and keeps your arms forward. Your tissue and muscles become shorter in the front of your shoulders and chest, while the upper back, neck and back of the shoulders become longer and weaker. This imbalance can cause pain as muscles are asked to do work that they were not designed to do.
Treatment for your shoulder
I might start by supporting your shoulder blade by holding it and then feel whether you have tension coming from above or below. As I continue holding your shoulder blade I will gradually put pressure into another area. It is extremely gentle and even if you have had an injury you will be able to tolerate pain source release and it will not re-injure you. As you start to relax your whole body will relax as well. This is when your body has taken over and has worked out what it needs to do to fix itself – and all I have to do then is follow.
Sandra is the first person who I call when my chronic shoulder rotator cuff is aggravated. Why?...Because the gentle technique actually works! Try it for yourself.
Treatment for your neck
Any time I work on your shoulder it is affecting your neck, so I might support your head and very gently stretch your neck and allow it to move with the stretch. If you have whiplash, this is an excellent treatment because it is gently stretching all the involved tissues without making them recoil. Because wait until I feel the tissue respond and change under my pressure I have given your nervous system enough time to work out what it needs to do to make that change occur. Any change that happens during a pain source release treatment has every chance of continuing to change and improve because you belong to it and I have not got in your way.
My first appointment with Sandra was because of re-occurring neck pain and headaches. I received a free session in the mailbox and decided it was worth a try. I went twice for my neck and the pain went away.