Does anyone else suffer with severe neck and shoulder tension?

[PR83]

Hello all,

The tension in my neck and shoulder area is intense, I often find it difficult to do a lot of exercises (that probably will help me) and it saps my energy as my body is working 24/7 to keep those muscles tight. I currently go to a chiro (over a year), which helps, and he performs acupuncture on me from time to time. This, along with yoga & massage, helps, but doesn't seem to get to the "baseline" issue. I have a deskjob which probably makes everything ten times worse but I do try to keep decent posture at work. Any thoughts on actually preventing the tension in the first place? I believe that my body senses a threat and that upper body area tries to go into fetal position and my head no longer stays aligned with my spine, etc. I also have much difficulty lying on my back, my shoulders automatically retreat to the ceiling and it is very uncomfortable (once again, my body is trying to protect itself and not be exposed and open).

Any thoughts are helpful, thanks!

[gypsylee]

Hi there,

Yes, I hold a lot of my tension in my shoulders and neck. My shoulder blades are like painful rocks sometimes. I've had massages and physiotherapy but as you say, it doesn't get to the root cause (often my shoulders hurt more after a massage). I think the only way to deal with it is to reduce the tension. Going for walks can be helpful, getting a good sleep and generally just de-stressing. Some people use those big balls to sit on at work rather than a chair.. Those might help!

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[The Intolerable Kid]

Yes, I had severe back pain behind my right shoulder blade. Finally one of my discs extruded, then ruptured. I had to have surgery to get it repaired. It still causes me pain to this day, especially when I'm under a lot of stress. They gave me cyclobenzeprine and hydrocodone for a while but that only helps so much. The big mistake I made was going to a chiropractor. Even though he knew it was a soft tissue injury to couldn't fix he kept squishing on it, making it worse, until surgery was my only option. He was very angry when I discontinued his treatment and met with a neurosurgeon. He just wanted to make money off of me, regardless of what it did to my health (I ended up with nerve damage.)
Good luck with your back pain, I hope you find a solution that works for you.