The majority of my clients suffer from neck and shoulder pain. It’s one of the most common areas to hold stress and it doesn’t take much to aggravate (it is shocking how easy it is to tweak your neck by holding one awkward position in your sleep!). I have suffered from neck and shoulder pain for the majority of my life and over these decades, I’ve tried a tremendously high number of things, some that haven’t helped but many that truly have and I wanted to share those resources with all of you (words that are blue contain clickable links to products and videos – I haven’t received any monetization for recommendations, they’re simply the ones that have worked for me). It’s important for me to stress that I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice, I am only sharing what has helped me over the years.
My greatest recommendation is for bodywork, particularly massage therapy and acupuncture. Many people put in the effort for their mental and emotional well-being but neglect their bodies, which need just as much attention to process out all the things that it is holding and accumulating. In this digital age, we spend great deals of time in positions that are unnatural for our bodies and we need to correct that with lots of different practices. It is worth the effort and the resources to find a bodyworker that you connect with, feel safe with, and can create a collaborative experience with. At the minimum, I get a monthly 90 minute massage and when I’m dealing with greater levels of pain, I’ll also schedule to see my acupuncturist once a week. Although massage therapy isn’t covered by health insurance (major eye roll here!), many insurance plans now cover acupuncture.
Another benefit to health insurance is that remote physical therapy is often covered for free. You have a virtual session with a physical therapist to discuss what you’re experiencing and the current pain levels you’re struggling with and they will come up with a digital physical therapy plan for you to follow. You are sent a PT kit that comes with wearable sensors and a tablet for you to follow along with a PT session. This was a great option for me because I was able to do the PT session every single day, at any time that worked for me, and I noticed improvement within a week. I don’t recommend this for folks that prefer a hands on experience but for those that are limited by resources (transportation, additional funds for copays, and time), this is a wonderful option.
Beyond exercising, my daily routine consists of qi gong and stretching. Qi gong is a traditional Chinese healing modality that uses slow and controlled movements, combined with breath, to achieve calm, flexibility, and relieve tension and pain. I’ve also found that a combination of yoga and light weight training significantly help with mobility and pain. Every couple of weeks I like to do a much longer stretch session, which allows for deeper release. It is helpful to have a couple of yoga blocks to aid in the deeper poses without creating too much strain. I’m also a big fan of foam rollers (chest openers do wonders for your back and shoulders because of the correction of posture) and chiropractic pillows to help with cervical spine alignment.
As someone that works from home exclusively, I’ve needed to try a variety of set ups in order to find the right one. The two game changers have been my standing desk and meditation chair. I spend at least half of my work day standing and I love the meditation chair (also sometimes referred to as an ADHD chair) because it allows me to sit in many different positions, especially cross-legged, which for me takes a lot of the pressure off of my shoulders and back of my neck.
Pillows are often overlooked for how important they are, even though they significantly contribute to the quality of sleep that you experience. The right pillow is specific to your typical sleep positions (for example, back sleepers versus side sleepers). I’ve tried dozens of pillows and my favorite pillow is designed to work for pretty much any sleeping position but is especially helpful for side sleepers. It is remarkable how much pressure is relieved from this pillow; my sleep quality has greatly improved and I wake up with much less pain in the morning. I especially love that you can take as much or as little of the filling out of it as you want so that you can perfectly customize it to the right height and width for your neck. I also recommend using a pillow for your car headrest.
Painkillers are sometimes necessary, especially if your neck and shoulder pain triggers headaches or migraines, as it often does for me. Since it can be hard on your stomach, kidneys, and liver, it’s ideal to use other methods first. Tiger Balm Extra Strength and Zim’s Max Freeze are always within reach for me and I never travel without them. When I have persistent pain that is especially stubborn, I will use a Lidocaine patch, which lasts for 12 hours. They’re great at staying put and I love that you can cut each patch if you want to be able to use one patch in two separate spots, such as half a patch on each shoulder (do not use more than one patch at once). Depending on the type of pain, either heat or ice can be helpful. If a migraine has been triggered for me, I will usually use ice to help with the pain, otherwise, I love using a microwave heating pad. I prefer these to electric ones because I’m able to still move about without being literally tied to an outlet. I have also noticed that when I’m dehydrated, even mildly, my pain symptoms intensify (and it becomes much more likely that I will have a headache or migraine). Even if I have done well with my water intake, sometimes electrolytes are needed, and Liquid IV is my favorite (their Popsicle Firecracker flavor is delicious!).
There are many gadgets out there to help with muscle tension and two good friends of mine are the massage gun and the trigger point cane. The massage gun is best for when you feel tight and stiff, it will loosen things up well. The trigger point cane is best if you have sharp pain from a specific knot. You angle the points of the cane on the knot directly to create enough localized pressure to help it release. A lovely addition to my healing toolkit has also been a cupping set. Cupping is considered an alternative medicine practice that is primarily used in Asia but is found all around the world. Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds all the different internal parts of your body, including organs, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. When you utilize cupping for your neck, shoulders, and back, you are able to lift and separate the fascial layers, which helps with mobility, thereby decreasing pain. You will need a second pair of hands for this, so it is a couples activity (consider having a cupping date!).
In my 20’s it was my fervent goal to get rid of all of the knots in my shoulders and back and by the time I entered my 30’s, I came to terms with the fact that they are my companions now. They’re little beings that tell me when I need more medicine for my well being and I’m grateful that I have so many things that belong in my medicine bag now. Sometimes healing means accommodating, rather than eradicating.
Wonderfully told, filled with great tools to use! Thank you for your constant contribution to everyone who is lucky enough to have you as a therapist, blessings Reeta! ❤️