I just woke up this morning and now I can't turn my head. This is very common at Doroski Chiropractic in Woodbridge VA. It has many names some I can't say here but the most common is a "crook in the neck."
Well if that is the case don't you wish the crook would just steal something and leave you alone! But no… it hangs out and annoys you and can
eventually make your arm tingle. The cause is usually the levator scapulae muscle.
Most of the time it wasn't the sleeping that screwed it up it is the continually tightening of that muscle over the last couple of months. The tightening occurs from bad postures, improper chair adjustment or repetitive movements. Your body is great at conserving energy so if you are going to hold that right shoulder up to use the mouse all day or hold that left shoulder up pinning your phone between your ear and shoulder for long periods so you can still use your hands, your body is going to put adhesion in the muscle to shorten it so that position doesn't cost you energy. That is the great thing about your body if you are going to do something over and over it takes short cuts to conserve energy.
If you
can’t get to your chiropractor here is a safe stretch you can do at home that
may help short term. Start with a hot
shower to warm the muscle up.
The muscle runs from the top medial part of your shoulder
blade up in to your neck. So the way to
stretch it is to separate those two structures.
You can do the stretch standing or sitting.
1. Lengthen the
muscle by raising the elbow above the shoulder on the side to stretch.
2. In this
position, first rest the elbow against a door jamb. This rotates the outside of
shoulder blade up and the inside of it down, which lengthens the levator
scapula muscle.
3. Second, turn
the head away from the side that is stretching and bring the chin down,
stretching the back of the neck .
4. Third, place
the fingers of the other hand on the top of the head and gently pull the head
forward increasing the stretch slightly.
Hold this for about 30 seconds to a minute.
If this helps great you got some relief before going to
your chiropractor. If they didn't help call
for an appointment because it won’t usually improve on its own.
Doroski Chiropractic Neurology
3122 Golansky Blvd, Ste 102
Woodbridge VA 22192
703 730 9588
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