So is your neck feeling tight, achy, and locked up? Does it feel like the muscles
need to be relaxed so you can finally get some relief? In this video, I'm going
to show you how to treat and fix muscle spasms and knots in the neck in one
minute or less. Hey everyone, Dr. Rowe here at SpineCare in
St. Joseph, Michigan. Neck muscle spasms, cramps, and muscle knots are common
issues that I treat my office. They're usually caused by built up tension in
the upper back and neck from everyday stress (which we all have) and from bad
forward-leaning posture (which we're all guilty of). This is a classic recipe for
the creation of muscle spasms and knots, and restricted range of motion in the
neck. What I'm going to share with you have helped many of my patients get more
flexibility back in their neck and help eliminate muscle spasms, cramps, and
overall tightness. I'm going to break it down into three parts, which will include
stretches and exercises targeting the upper, middle, and lower parts of the neck.
So it should help you be able to get rid of those muscle spasms, no matter where
they are. They don't require any special equipment and can be done at home, and
are really simple to do. So let's get started and get feeling better right now!
For the first part of this guide, we're going to focus on the upper
cervical area, primarily a muscle group called the suboccipital muscles. The
suboccipital muscles act as a stabilizer and they help also turn the head.
They get a lot of strain in them from forward head posture. So think if you're an
office worker constantly typing, or at a desk, cell phone use, driving... you name it,
anything that brings those shoulders forward and the head down are going to
strain those muscle groups. When the suboccipitals do get strained and
muscle spasms start to form, what happens is it can lead to other issues other
than neck pain, including tension headaches. Possibly even migraines if
it's bad enough. If you've been having a lot of headaches, especially tension
like headaches, this is going to be one that you're going to really want to pay
attention to. This is the exercise. It's very easy. We're going to find the
spots in the upper part of the neck (right here) and then from there we're
going to take our fingers and make hooks with them. Go back to those spots, those
muscle spasms in the neck, and put a little bit of
pressure in there. Just do a nice self massage for about five seconds to help
loosen it up. From there, we're going to do a chin tuck towards the chest and
then we're going to use our head and bring it backwards into our fingers
to build more tension... (I'm sorry) build more pressure into those spots of tension.
Just give that a good hold for about fifteen to thirty seconds. Only go to
your comfort level. If it's causing a lot of discomfort, back off and just build
into it very slowly. What you're going to notice is that that muscle spasm will
start to break up. So give that a good 30 second hold or until it does finally
release, and then back off and keep repeating it until you feel it finally
go away. Next, we're going to focus on the middle part of the neck. We're going
to target a muscle called the SCM or sternocleidomastoid muscle, and this
muscle is responsible for turning the head. If you've been having a lot of
issues (let's say while driving) trying to turn the head to look over your shoulder,
this is one that's probably going to help you out. So we're going to find that
muscle spasm in the middle of the neck, we're going to put a little bit of pressure
in there. Again, just massage for about five seconds, until you feel it start to
release a little bit. The next step is to look over the opposite shoulder,
so turn the head as far as you're able to go. You're going to feel that muscle
spasm get a little bit more sensitive. Put pressure in there, keep massaging for
about another ten seconds. Then this next step is where it's going to get a
lot more intense. We're going to take our chin towards this opposite shoulder,
so again we're turning our head and then taking the chin downwards. Just get in
there, massage that for about another fifteen to thirty seconds or until you
feel that muscle knot release, and then just keep doing it until it finally does
release completely. So last we're gonna focus on the lower
part of the neck and the upper shoulders. The muscle that is most commonly
associated with lower neck issues is the trapezius muscle. So the trapezius or
trap muscle is responsible for shrugging or lifting the shoulders up towards the ear.
This is how we're going to target the trapezius muscle: we're going to take
a couple fingers, we're going to find that muscle spasm and then just do a
light massage for about five seconds. The next part is
taking the ear on that side towards that shoulder, so a lateral bend over while
you massage it for about another ten seconds. Just put a good amount of
pressure in there to help start to release that muscle knot. So this last
part is where it's going to really intensify this self massage. We're going
to then take the ear on the opposite side to the opposite shoulder while
maintaining pressure, and you're really going to feel this self massage. Just get
in there, dig at it, until it finally starts to release (usually fifteen to
thirty seconds). I then just back off and then repeat the process.
Again, finger on that side. I'm going to bend over while massaging it, and then
I'm going to go to the opposite side while I keep pressure in there, and just
keep repeating until you feel all the muscle knots or spasms finally go away.
With this three-part guide it should help tackle stubborn muscle knots and
spasms and get you feeling a lot of relief. If you're still having lingering
or recurring neck or headache issues, make sure to make an appointment with
your local chiropractor to have it looked at. Also, if you liked the video
and got some relief, please show us your support by giving this video a like and
maybe subscribing to our channel too. Please let us know in the comments
section how they work for you. We appreciate it, and thanks for watching!