Tuina massage therapy - Shoulder, neck, and upper back pain

 

 

Shoulder, neck, and upper back pain

Lingling is a nine-to-five office worker. Recently, she has been busy with projects and even works overtime at the company until 10 pm. She doesn't even have time to exercise. When she gets home, she just wants to lie on the bed and scroll through her phone, then fall asleep. When she got up that day, Lingling felt her neck was very stiff, and it was difficult to move left and right, and even painful. Lingling thought it was probably just a stiff neck, so she didn't take it seriously and continued to work, but the symptoms did not show any signs of easing. Instead, the pain ranged from the shoulder neck and upper back to the inner side of the shoulder blade. The pain has seriously affected Lingling's life and work, and finally Lingling decided to go to the rehabilitation clinic for help.

 

Causes of shoulder and neck pain

Musculoskeletal pain in the shoulder and neck is quite common and is the fourth most common disease in the world. According to statistics, about 30% to 50% of people suffer from shoulder and neck pain, especially office workers who sit in front of the computer for a long time. More than half of them have shoulder and neck pain within a year.

 

Although shoulder and neck pain is not often life-threatening, it is a problem worthy of attention that causes poor working conditions and even early departure from work. In particular, if young and middle-aged office workers do not pay attention to the occasional shoulder and neck pain, it may become chronic pain, affecting work and life in the long term, and also interfering with sleep and quality of life.

 

The most important cause of shoulder and neck pain is myofascial tightness caused by maintaining the same posture for a long time. It should be reminded that there are many reasons for shoulder and neck pain, and they are not necessarily muscle problems. Possible causes include:

 

-Muscle fascia:

Many muscles from the back of the head, the neck and the inside of the shoulder blade are interconnected, so the pain area is usually very wide. Improper posture causes excessive pressure on the muscle fascia, causing damage, which is the most common cause of shoulder, neck and back pain for office workers. Muscle fascia pain often finds a trigger point, which is very painful when pressed

 

-Cervical facet arthritis:

The cervical facet joint is like a latch between the cervical vertebrae. If it is subjected to excessive pressure, bone spur hyperplasia and compression may occur. The symptoms are neck pain, which may also be transferred to the back of the head, shoulders and shoulder blades

 

-Cervical disc herniation:

The intervertebral disc is like a cushion between the vertebrae. If it is subjected to excessive pressure for a long time, it may protrude and squeeze the nerves, causing pain and soreness and numbness from the neck and upper back to the upper limbs.

 

-Shoulder problems:

Diseases such as periarthritis of the shoulder, shoulder squeeze syndrome and rotator cuff tear may also cause pain around the shoulder and neck

 

-Heart problems:

The transferred pain of heart problems is mainly in the left shoulder, back and left upper arm

 

Adjust your work environment like this

Research shows that the height and arrangement of the work environment of office workers, including computer desks, chairs and mice, will affect the stress on musculoskeletal joints and even cause pain and discomfort.

 

For example, if the head is tilted forward, the weight of the head cannot be supported by the central axis, causing increased stress on the cervical spine. Experiments show that every 1 cm forward movement of the head will increase the pressure on the cervical spine by 1.2 kg. In the long run, it may cause premature degeneration of the cervical spine or cause a herniated disc, or even compress the nerves. In addition, the forward tilt of the head will also pull the trapezius and rhomboid muscles in the back, causing muscle strain and pain in the shoulders, neck and upper back. Here are some ways that office workers can adjust their work environment:

 

Sit well and fully, lean on your waist and back

Sit at the bottom of the chair, so that the waist and back support is not suspended; if there is a hollow feeling behind you, you can add a cushion. A comfortable posture should be to have a straight back, a slightly tucked chin, a straight head without leaning forward, and shoulders relaxed without shrugging.

 

Elbows are supported and wrists are relaxed

The height of the table should allow the elbows to naturally hang down at 90 degrees on the table, transfer the weight of the upper arm to the table, and move the elbows forward 10-15 cm away from the body. Avoid shrugging. Support the wrists with a cushion or use a mouse pad with soft ridges to support the wrists to avoid excessive pressure on the wrists that compresses the median nerve and causes carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

The top edge of the screen should be aligned with the line of sight

The top edge of the screen should be aligned with the line of sight and parallel to the line of sight. The distance between the screen and the eyes is about 40-70 cm, so that the shoulders and neck can be relaxed to avoid hunching. A simple test method is to open the commonly used windows of the computer, and do not need to lean forward when you need to see details. This is the appropriate distance between the screen and the body.

 

Commonly used devices, close to the body

Keyboards, mice, tablets and other devices that need to be used frequently should not be too far away from the body to avoid excessive extension of the elbows and excessive pulling of the shoulder tendons.

 

Feet flat, easy to the ground

The height of the chair should allow the feet to be easily and naturally flat on the ground. If you need to tiptoe, it may cause tightness in the calf muscles. Avoid crossing your legs or legs, otherwise it may cause excessive tightness of the iliotibial band, gluteal muscles or piriformis muscles and even cause pain. If your feet are suspended in the air, you can place a footstool under your feet to compensate for the suspended height.

 

 

Adjust your bedroom like this

The most important factors affecting back stability in the sleeping environment are pillows and mattresses.

-Pillows:

If you sleep on your side, the height of the pillow should be approximately equal to the distance from your neck to your arm when you lie down, so that your cervical spine and back muscles do not bend or stretch; if you sleep on your back, you should let your neck protrude slightly toward the sky, because the normal range of the cervical spine is to bend slightly forward

-Mattresses:

If your body sinks when you lie down, it means that the mattress may be too soft. Because the weight of the upper and lower bodies of the human body is different, it is recommended to replace the mattress head and tail every six months to avoid uneven force on the mattress and reduce the support.

 

 

 

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