Back, Neck, and Shoulder Pain
Back Pain
Pain in the low back pain is incredibly common these days. Many people report feeling the pain across their lower back and into their hips. Although the pain symptoms are on the backside of the body, the root point of tightness may be coming from the front side of the spine.
Chronic sitting can create excessive tightening of the psoas muscle, which attaches to 22 different structures in your body including vertebra and vertebral discs and the lowest attachments are on the thigh bone. Too much sitting at a desk and long commutes to work, for example, can create asymmetries throughout the body, followed by past injuries accumulated throughout a lifetime.
During a myofascial release session, Phaedra will assess tension along the lines of the legs, evaluate the landscape of the body looking for asymmetries such as the distance from the ribcage to the pelvis, and how the feet are positioned to name a few. Are they symmetrical? Is one hip hiked higher than the other, is there a leg that is shorter than the other?
Neck Pain
The head and neck are supported by the base of the spine. The base of the spine is the pelvis (low back region). If a pelvis is off balance, it often creates an uneven base of support for the head and neck to be supported. Treatment usually includes aligning the pelvis, and working upwards towards the neck.
The John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach® is different than other treatments in that it works the front muscles of the cervical vertebrae as well as the back of the neck and skull. John Barnes learned this as he worked on horses, which have incredibly large cervical vertebrae.
Usually there is a twist/rotation in the cervical bones and these vertebrae and muscles can typically be untwisted, freeing the nerves of tremendous pressure and easing pain. Jaw clenching and tightening of the skull can be another factor aggravating neck pain.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain in increasingly common in today’s modern world due to all of the forward bending movements we do. Most everyday activities usually involve leaning the spine forward, rounding the shoulders forward and hiking them to the ears. Driving, texting, eating a meal at a table, sitting at a desk and using a mouse… We are reaching forward all day!
Our body tends to mold into a forward posture. This brings the ribs closer to the hips, pulling the body forward. Then a person suddenly reaches behind them to pick up a heavy bag or reach for something overhead, and shoulder and arm injuries happen! Upper extremity injuries commonly treated include rotator cuff injuries, tendonitis, frozen shoulder, fractures, and tingling in the hands.
Phaedra will go beyond treating the symptoms and help discover the cause! It’s all connected! The hipbones are connected to the rib bones to the shoulder and neck bones!