How to relax your neck muscles. How to relax your neck muscles

The treatment of muscle spasm in the neck is a feasible task if it is approached competently and with responsibility for one's health. After all, pain in the neck, who just did not experience them, almost everyone, even a child. This area has a huge number of nerves, blood vessels and muscles, which are often damaged under various influences of external and internal factors, provoking muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders of a different nature. And how to find a treatment for such a misfortune, and insure yourself to the maximum from repeated attacks. This is the topic of our conversation.

I want to tell you that I have experienced muscle spasm in the calf area more than once. But one day, at the most difficult time of my life, there came a moment when tears flowed by themselves, from heaviness and pain, as if a concrete slab was lying on my shoulders and bouncing. And I just dreamed of a massage, for some reason it seemed to me that only he would help me. Luckily, he was within walking distance.

Without a doctor's appointment, I begged the masseuse to give me a course. She just saved me, found the time and agreed. The specialist is just amazing. At the first sessions, it was terribly painful, but somewhere after the 7th session, everything returned to normal, only one muscle made itself felt, and the massage therapist felt it, it was tense and gave pain when kneading it. As a result, the pain went away, but, nevertheless, complete relief from heaviness did not come.

Now, years later, I understand that I had to go to the doctor and take painkillers at first, and follow all the doctor's prescriptions. But at that moment I didn’t think the way I should, I thought about myself last of all and succumbed, rather to intuition than to reason. Or maybe the brain did not work at full strength, since a violation of the blood supply was already present.

Still, for almost a year, and this is not a little, there was heaviness and dull pain in the reflex zone. And all the symptoms accumulated gradually, and the beam wound itself more and more (stress, emotions, worries, expectations, hard work, which I never did in such quantity, fatigue). But it might not have ended so well.

Therefore, to whom my story seemed to be familiar, you can find out in more detail what muscle spasm in the neck is, treatment by various methods, which muscles are involved in its occurrence, what danger this condition carries, what needs to be done first.

What muscles are involvedin muscle spasm

General concept of spasms

Let's start with the general definition of the word spasm (pull out) - cramp, cramp, spasticity - involuntary muscle contraction of one or more muscles, causing sharp or aching pain.

The nervous system always responds to strong tension with strong relaxation. This is how the body protects itself.

Spasms occur in striated and smooth tissues.

Surely, it will be interesting for you to learn a little more about tissues in order to have an idea about spasms in general.

1. Striated tissues are located in the skeletal muscles, in the oral cavity, located in the upper third of the pharynx, in the external sphincters of the excretory tract (anal and urethra). They are responsible for the position of various postures in space, for swallowing and breathing. With a spasm in this case, motor activity is disturbed, breathing and eating are difficult.
2. Smooth tissue is found in the membranes of the internal organs, in the internal sphincters, in the walls of blood vessels. It is responsible for emptying the bladder and intestines, peristalsis of the stomach, for the uterus and fallopian tubes, for vascular tone. If smooth muscles are involved in the spasm, then the body lets you know that not everything is in order with this organ. Angina pectoris, cardiospasm occur due to vasospasm, during pregnancy and childbirth, spasms in the uterus often occur.

They are divided by duration: into tonic (long-term) and clonic (periodically contract and relax), in the form of small twitches to strong, very painful contractions.

Muscle spasm factors

• . When moving, protruding protrusions in the form of hernias or osteophytes irritate the nerve root, forming pain, the brain instructs the muscles to tighten, the stronger the pain, the stronger the muscle tension.
• Nervous stress and prolonged emotional experiences, overwork. Probably, these states are constantly present with other factors, they are simply inseparable.
• Nervous diseases. In motor neuron disease, MND.
• Muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, etc.
• Injuries, bruises and sprains. What's happening? Severe pain occurs, the muscles contract in response and remain clamped even when the pain passes.
• Birth trauma in a child in the cervical region is a common cause of neck spasms that accompanies a person all his life.
• Static prolonged muscle tension. If you watch TV for a long time in an uncomfortable position, work or play at a computer, a long load of a heavy bag, overload in training and much more. In this state, if you do not do relaxation exercises, then the process of inhibition becomes habitual for the cells.

Why do muscle spasms occur?

• With sweat, a large content of valuable salts (sodium, potassium,
• Violation of the mode of tension and relaxation, if this happens at the same time, then a spasm occurs.
• Diet low in carbohydrates. Overvoltages are dangerous here.

The exact reasons are being studied to this day.

Muscle spasm in the neck - symptoms

1. There may be strong twitches or small ones, on either side of the neck area, or they may not be felt at all, just heaviness and stiffness.
2. Movement is limited: turn or tilt your head.
3. Localization in the hands, swelling of the hands in the morning.
4. Difficulty taking deep breaths. There may be a lump in the throat.
5. The spasmodic muscle is hard and painful.

Consequences of spasm in the cervical region

The full nutrition of the brain, skin, muscles of the face and neck is disturbed. Muscles atrophy faster, giving a person an unhealthy look.

• The face swells due to a violation of the outflow of lymph, wrinkles on the face form faster than desired, a second chin appears, folds on the side of the neck.
• Formed.
• The emotional state worsens (mood deteriorates, panic attacks, fatigue and irritability appear).
• In the reflex zone, the muscles are hard and painful, but should be soft and elastic.
• Pinched vagus nerve. It is the 10th pair of 12 cranial pairs, it is the longest and is of great importance in the human body. The vagus nerve is involved in the reflex actions of swallowing, vomiting, and coughing. Involved in the process of breathing, heartbeat. With its defeat, diseases such as migraine, neurasthenia, angioedema, Rhine and Meniere's diseases develop. With compression of the vagus nerve in the cervical region, failures occur in the pancreas (violation of Ca formation) and, accordingly, problems arise in the gastrointestinal tract.

With frequent spasms, there is a violation of the blood circulation of the brain, even a small one, most often causes headaches, poor sleep, dizziness and malaise, and hypertension develops.

What causes muscle spasm in a child

Muscle spasm in a child has its own characteristics, the development of ligaments and muscle tissue does not keep pace with the growth of the skeletal system, hence various kinds of spasms often occur. And also children may complain, or they may not, especially for newborns.

Parents need to understand what is stuck in the neck? Are there any subluxations of the vertebrae. This is exactly what happened to my children as children. There were no signs of pain in the neck, my daughter, she was about 8 years old, she sat, watched TV, turned her head to the right and “jammed her neck”. For about 2 days I smeared with ointments, it did not help, a spasm, as it seemed to me that it was he, did not let go, I went to the hospital, it turned out to be a subluxation.

It happened to my son at the age of three, I didn’t even begin to experiment, I urgently took him to the emergency room of the Central Regional Hospital. The neurologist, who is also a chiropractor, was on duty that day (it was in the evening), corrected the situation.

But muscle stiffness, especially the back of the head, can occur against the background of infectious diseases (measles, rubella, poliomyelitis), when the body is weakened and predisposed to a severe pathological condition of meningitis.

Everything related to children, if the cause of muscle spasms is not clear (tension in one position, uncomfortable pillow, myositis or congenital torticollis), without even thinking about consulting a doctor, the Internet will not help. The doctor will prescribe the correct treatment, excluding a viral infection, (massage, physiotherapy, drug therapy, chiropractor, exercise therapy, Shants collar).

First aid to the child should be provided with Maxicold painkillers, Paracytomol suppositories, Ibuprofen suspension is allowed, according to the instructions, for children from 3 months.

Almost all ointments are contraindicated up to 7-12 years, homeopathic up to 3 years due to the lack of clinical data ("Traumeel S", "Alorom").

Muscle spasm in the neck treatment and diagnosis

Diagnostics

You should consult a doctor if the spasms last more than 2 days.

And if they are aggressive, then immediately.

To make a correct diagnosis, it is advisable to find a competent neurologist so that the examination is correct, who will find the cause of the spasms and tell you how to treat.

If necessary, electromyography is prescribed to evaluate the work of motor neurons. MRI of the brain and spinal cord.

Drug therapy and physiotherapy

Muscle spasm is best treated in complex therapy, prescribed: acupuncture, manual therapy, pharmacopuncture, cryotherapy, cupping, massage, drug therapy, vitamins, ointments. Try to work out with a psychologist, connect relaxation, meditation.

Almost all muscle spasms are directly related to emotional experiences.

Pharmacopuncture is the introduction of medicinal substances into biologically active points for the purpose of prevention and treatment. If relaxation is disturbed, they form, in which pain appears, and with the help of microneedles with the right medicine, they get rid of them.

• Cryotherapy is the effect of low temperatures.
• Hard massage of the affected area.
• Drug therapy includes muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory, vitamins containing minerals.

Drugs that relieve muscle spasm are divided into categories.

1. Relaxing and relieving (muscle relaxant) symptoms.
2. Painkillers.
3. Combined (relax, relieve, anesthetize).
4. Anti-inflammatory.

Muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasm

Muscle relaxants relax the striated muscles by blocking the neuromuscular impulse. They are divided into central and peripheral effects.

In our case, muscle relaxants of central action are used for spasms of the cervical region. This group of drugs does not cure, but makes it possible to perform massage manipulation or manual therapy during muscle relaxation. The action of drugs is divided into:

• ultra-short - from 5 to 7 minutes;
• short - up to 20 minutes;
• medium - up to 40 minutes;
• long - more than 40 minutes.

Remember that you cannot use them without a doctor's prescription, a large list of contraindications.

Painkillers

Painkillers are taken with strong, deep spasms, when the pain becomes unbearable. In medicines there is a large amount of lidocaine, analgin: "Milgamma", "Meloxicam", "Novocain" and many other drugs.

Combined, the most common in the appointment in the form of injections and tablets. Mydocalm is recommended, the drug immediately relieves spasm and anesthetizes. From modern drugs in tablets "Sirdalud", its analogue "Tizalud".

Anti-inflammatory

Anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs (NSAIDs) - Ibuprofen, Baclofen, Diclofenac, etc.

Physiotherapy treatment is applied with vacuum jars. They have a great effect on blood circulation and lymph flow in the affected area.

Ointments relieve petrification and are anti-inflammatory, analgesic: "Dolgit", "Kapsicam", "Fastum Gel", "Finalgon", "Ketanol", "Target T".

vitamin therapy

Be sure to take complexes of vitamins, minerals calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium. Their daily intake in the body prevents convulsions.

It will help strengthen the deep muscles of the neck so that spasms do not bother, they must be in “combat readiness”, that is, strong, elastic, well stretched.

Relieve muscle spasm - Jacobson relaxation

Rules of the Jacobson technique.

1. Nobody interferes. Comfortable clothes.
2. Every 4 days, learn and memorize one exercise with the muscles.
3. Lesson time is no more than 15 minutes.
4. Repeat the exercise 5 times.
5. With tension, pain, discomfort should not be allowed.

You can do it with the whole family, the child will be very interested.

Watch the video of relaxation techniques (watch from 11 minutes).

First aid for yourself with a neck spasm

What to do if a muscle spasm occurs?

1. Choose a comfortable position so that you can relax.
2. Try to hold it tightly, as if to shorten the reduced muscle.
3. Apply cold to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bcontracted muscles (ice, a frozen bag of food).
4. After relaxation, warm up the muscle with massage techniques. Make a tight bandage on the calves of the legs.
5. Those who have seizures periodically recur, take medications that relieve symptoms in a matter of minutes.

With frequent repetitions, be sure to consult a doctor.

Conclusion

Muscle spasm of the neck under the influence of various factors can appear in any inhabitant of the planet, it is very unpredictable and it is not always possible to insure, no matter how hard you try. Most often with this disease live a lifetime.

I sincerely wish that you do not experience these symptoms, but if they suddenly appear, then competently cope with the attacks using my advice.

I end the article on this. If the article was useful, share with your friends and subscribe to updates. Tell us about your spasms and how did you manage to get rid of them?

Take care of yourself and your spine!

A common and familiar problem to many is neck stiffness, muscle pain, and pain in the head. This all happens due to many factors, the impact of which cannot be avoided. To return comfort, relieve fatigue, let's find out how to relax the muscles of the neck and back.

Why is the neck numb

What is the lifestyle of modern man? Let's imagine the most ordinary office employee. 8-9 hours he sits in an armchair, interrupted by a cup of coffee and lunch. There is a screen in front of his eyes, which he is constantly looking at. And that's how most of the week goes.

On weekends, the most common office worker is at home or at a bar with friends, where he sits or lies again. What happens to the muscles? They receive little blood, they become numb. As a result, the vertical load on the spine ceases to be divided between it and the muscles and completely falls on the skeleton.

The spinal cord is located in the spine, the roots of which extend beyond the spinal canal. In these places, in a similar state of affairs, the spinal roots are pinched, as a result of which a person feels numbness in the limbs, pain.

In addition to all this, the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, because the neck is a strategically important bridge between the body and the neck. Hence the headaches.

So, why the neck can become numb:

• Long-term lack of mobility, change of position.
• Short-term or long stay in positions that are very uncomfortable for the neck (most often during sleep).
• Cold.

How to make sure that everything is in order with the neck

There are several ways to protect yourself from neck problems. Surely you have met people in your life, or maybe you yourself have been in such situations when your neck hurts from chronic tension or a draft.

In this state, a person cannot turn his head, and this is very uncomfortable. To avoid such situations (you won’t be able to avoid them 100%, because anything happens in life, but you can minimize the risk of such an incident), you need to do this.

Convenience of poses

When you are at work, try to ensure that there are right angles everywhere. This means that the angle of your body at the knees and pelvis should be 90 degrees. Ideally, the center of the PC screen should be at eye level in this pose. It is possible that in this position you will be less tired.

This advice is not only for those who have tense back and neck muscles. We recommend such a scheme in the workplace to anyone who wants to avoid problems such as chronic stress.

When you sleep, pay attention to the bed. The sleeping surface should be flat, neck bending is unacceptable. Pillows are an important part of a comfortable sleep. We highly recommend purchasing an orthopedic pillow. Lie down on it once. Believe me, you will rethink a lot.

When your neck is tense, you can use a pillow to help it relax. This is a proven option. And if you sleep in an uncomfortable position, then daytime stress combined with nighttime will turn your neck muscles into stone. In the morning, you will have difficulty turning your head, or it will hurt.

Warm

You need to take care of the stiff neck, create comfortable conditions for it, wrap it in a scarf. No kidding, try to keep your neck.

It is worth sleeping one night in a draft, the next morning you will wake up with a hellish pain in your neck, you will not be able to turn your head. This is muscle inflammation. But all this could have been avoided.

Always wear scarves in winter, unless the jacket has a high collar with a zip. Take care of the back of the head, tendons are attached there. This is a very vulnerable spot.

Massage and special exercises

Massage

And now let's talk about the most pleasant part of our conversation today - massage. When you have something numb, you can ask a loved one to wrinkle your neck. Massage of the neck and shoulders perfectly relieves fatigue. In some cases, it encourages sleep.

You can give yourself a massage. The technique will be:

Sitting, grab your head with your hands on both sides, place your fingers on the back of the head. Feel for a tubercle on the back of the head - tendons from the muscle are attached to it from below. Massage the area with your fingers. Next, massaging movements go down to the base of the neck. Walk up and down a few times, making pressure and circular movements with 4 fingers of each hand.

Now walk your hands from the neck to the shoulders. This is the top of the trapeze, wrinkle them mercilessly on the verge of pain and euphoria. If they are hard, knead them until they are like dough.

So that the trapezium is not tense, rest your elbows on the table. In a suspended state, they hold your hands so that they do not fall down.

When you are massaging the back of your head and neck, rest your head on books or something else so that the muscles do not tense up to maintain the position.

With your fingers, lightly press and stroke the front of the neck to the right and left of the Adam's apple. Attention! Pain points are located there, important blood vessels pass there, so press very lightly to make it pleasant. Don't make sudden movements.

The trapezius muscle is considered part of the back, so these tips apply to the question of how to relax the back muscles.

The most pleasant places for massage are the back of the head and the top of the trapezium. The top of the trapezium connects the shoulder girdle and the neck. A huge load on fixing the hands falls on this part of the muscle. If not for them, our hands would drop to the very knees. But the muscle mechanism does not allow this to happen.

Friends, a relaxing massage is a truly healing thing! Once every 3 months it is very useful and great to take a course of back and neck massage.

But keep in mind that massage should be done by a good specialist with relevant documents. Careless handling of your back and neck can hurt!

Exercises

If your neck muscles are tense, special exercises will help you. There are several complexes that allow to ensure the prevention of such phenomena.

The first complex is based on neck movements. Your task is to make circular movements in all directions, tilting the neck to the side, forward and backward. And with each slope and circle, try to increase the range of motion. All movements are performed slowly, thoughtfully. You can’t rush here, because a careless and sharp muscle strain can complicate your situation.

The second option is isometric loading. Scientists came to the conclusion that after such tension, the muscle should relax. This is true, relaxation comes after intense tension. On the one hand, it is ridiculous to strain an already tense muscle. On the other hand, it works.

The following complex is based on the principle of isometry. It can be performed while sitting right at the workplace (only so that the boss does not see):

Sit up straight, tilt your head with your chin down. Grab your head near the back of your head with your hands. Try to raise your head, and with your hands interfere with this. Tension will develop at the back of the neck, which must be held for 5-10 seconds. Relax and wait 20 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3 times.

Now grab the left side of your head with your right hand and press it against your right shoulder. If stretching does not allow, tilt as far as you can. Try to bring your head back, but don't let your hand do it. Hold the tension for 5-10 seconds. Repeat the exercise three times, each time tilting your head more and more.

Place your elbows on the table, head on the palm of your hand. Tighten your neck as if you are stretching your chin to your neck. Your hands are in the way. Hold tension up to 10 seconds. Do this three times.

After all, rub the neck muscles by stroking. Charging is over, nothing should leak in the next few hours! In general, warm up more often, tilt your neck to the right and left, make circular movements. Muscles love mobility!

In the modern world, a person is exposed to stressful situations every day, every minute to a small or large extent. We all work and have a circle of friends, a loved one or in search of him. There are times when it is hard to concentrate or you make a mistake in work or there is a conflict in a relationship or communication. Sometimes it's just that today was a hard day. Because of this, our body is in tension and psychologically we are also tense. And often we ask ourselves: "How to relax?". And in this article we will give the answer, breaking it down into the following points:

How to learn to relax psychologically?

Learning to relax psychologically is the first stage of self-knowledge. Unfortunately, nowadays people rarely do something they love. We get used to living in the rhythm of work-home.

If you often feel tense and constantly unable to relax, it's time to think about the fact that you pay little attention to yourself. You are so carried away by your rhythm of life and solving problems or household chores that you forgot the most important thing - yourself. You have forgotten that you need to pay attention to yourself. First of all, you must be aware that you are under the influence of stressful situations, that your body is tense, that you may feel depressed. Each person has individual needs, and each has their own methods for relaxation. It all depends on your tastes and hobbies.

In order to learn how to relax psychologically, decide what you would like to do. Someone may like to do needlework, someone once wanted to write a book, maybe you dreamed of working with children. It could even be sports. Ask yourself the question: “What am I missing to relax?” Look inside yourself and you will definitely answer it. Look at your daily schedule and set aside time for yourself, at least one or two hours a day for yourself.

Meditation techniques and some yoga practices also help you learn to relax. They consist of a set of classes to obtain a guaranteed result: relaxation and inner peace. Start going to yoga or take up relaxation classes at home.

How to relax without alcohol?

It is considered a misleading opinion to say that I relax with the help of alcohol. In principle, in small quantities, alcohol gives relaxation, but in practice, in fact, alcohol does not relax, because after a stressful situation, a person trying to relax with alcohol, most often after the first glass already reaches for the second and subsequently - strong alcohol intoxication, and this will only aggravate the stress, and give the opposite reaction, the person becomes irritable and nervous.

What can replace alcohol? In fact, stress is a surge of adrenaline in the blood. A person begins to think faster in a stressful situation, and his body requires physical action.

One way to solve the problem is to go in for sports. What kind - it's up to you. The main thing is that you can throw out your emotions. Or if after stress you feel depressed, a walk around the city or park will help.

How can you relax at home before bed?

After a hard day, especially if he was very active. There are times when it's just really hard to fall asleep. Thoughts are seething in your head that do not allow you to relax, and you turn around on the bed like a spinning top. What to do? How to relax yourself? There are several options:

1. Clear your head of thoughts that make you tense and constantly think about the situation. Just force yourself not to think about your problem, because tomorrow it will definitely be solved with a positive result. You need to distract yourself with something, for example, think about something pleasant for you. You can use meditation techniques to relax.


2. Make a charge. This does not mean that you need to get up to jump and overload your body even more. No, just do a few exercises to relax the muscles, the main thing is that they are light and not forced, without a strong load.


3. You can also get a massage. It is sure to relax all your muscles and give your body and inner world peace of mind. During the massage, you can use aromatic oils for relaxation and tranquility.


4. Take a warm bath, it will help relax your body muscles, and you will begin to fall asleep. Your body is relaxed and you will fall asleep peacefully.

How to learn to relax during pregnancy?

There can also be stress during pregnancy. And when the expectant mother is already worried not only alone, because of stress, but also thinks about the child at that time, her worries double.

If your stress is caused by worries about future childbirth - do not be shy, tell your doctor, or relatives, friends who were already pregnant too and remember how they were also worried. They will surely guide you and dispel your worries. Always remember that you are already responsible for the life of your unborn child, and what you experience, he experiences with you. Learn to relax. Make time for yourself to relax. Even if you do not attend any classes, but are constantly at home, this can be done at home:

• First of all, you need to find a place where no one will distract you and where it is quiet.


• Turn on relaxing music that you like, preferably classical.


• Sit comfortably, it can be your favorite chair, or reclining on the couch. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath. Feel how energy flows through your body as you inhale, bringing you warmth and happiness.


• Remove all disturbing thoughts. To do this, you can use the following technique: your thoughts are clouds, behind the clouds there is a clear blue sky. You mentally drive away the clouds, clearing the sky.


• Dream about how good it will be for you when your baby is born. Let your imagination run wild, enjoy the feeling of love and happiness. After the end of the relaxation, most importantly, do not get up abruptly.


• Open your eyes, move your arms and legs. Tighten all parts of the body in turn. Now you are ready to stand up. And if at this moment you look inside yourself, you will understand that it is warm and calm there.

Set aside 10-15 minutes a day for exercise.

How to relax after stress?

If something happened in your life, and your body experienced stress, what to do in such a situation? When common sense flies out of your head, when you yourself do not understand what is happening around. Naturally, at the moment of stress and for several minutes, hours after it, a person does not think about how to avoid a stressful situation or how to calm himself. The nervous system is overstressed. In such situations, people behave differently. More often they close in on themselves, they think and do nothing.

What do we have to do? The first is to rid yourself of thoughts. Do something. Go, walk around the city, take a contrast shower, go to the gym, tell the situation to a loved one. Do something - don't shut yourself up. After you have done something, a few hours will pass and the stressful situation will no longer seem so shocking. When your brain is freed from unnecessary thoughts, it will start working and look for ways to solve the problem.

It is impossible to get rid of stressful situations in life in general. And for what? In small stressful situations, we think better, find ways to get out of this situation. That is, stressful situations help a person. But how you perceive stressful situations is another matter. No need to try to escape from stressful situations, because running away is already stressful. You just need to start perceiving the world not from the black side, but from the white side. Look at it from the other side, as an optimist. Know that everything that is not done is done for the better.

Briefly about the important:

What does the neck hide in itself and what are the ways to properly relax the muscles of the body in order to remove pain without pills and ensure a clear head and good mood.

More and more modern people complain of neck pain - everyone has already heard about a sedentary lifestyle. Despite the fact that we are sitting, our body gets tired of such static and very much overstrained.

So, what do we usually do after sitting at the computer all day and realizing that the neck is stiff? We begin to bend it from side to side, making unimaginable movements with our heads. But this does not bring the expected effect: the neck is still tense, and aching pain is already creeping up to it. In addition, tension in the muscles of the neck will necessarily be accompanied by tension in the facial muscles. So, creases, wrinkles and a tired look are guaranteed.

Why don't the standard neck relaxation exercises work the way we would like?

The approach to stretching the neck itself without taking into account all other parts of the body is not even the last century, but the year before last. Try a simple and more effective set of exercises that can be performed both at home and in the office.

Step one: What is important to know about the neck

The muscles of the back of the neck are very powerful, strong and strong, and pain as a result of overexertion most often occurs in them.

But do not forget that the neck does not exist in the body by itself.

The muscles of the posterior surface of the neck are part of the posterior superficial muscle chain. It starts at the tips of the toes, goes further along the sole, passes into the calf muscle, into the hip flexors, then into the gluteal muscle, the muscle that straightens the spine, and reaches along the spine to the skull. The integrity of this line is ensured by the fact that in the places of muscle attachments there are fibers that spread from one muscle to another and link them into a single formation.

Therefore, if the neck hurts, this does not mean at all that the problem is in it. The entire posterior superficial muscle chain is tense. It's just that the neck in this whole chain represents the weakest point. And, of course, in order to relax the neck, it is necessary to act on all the links of this chain: by relaxing each section, you can use the entire chain at the same time. Only this will bring tangible results.

Step two: relax the body

This set of exercises is best performed in this order, stretching all the muscles of our body from the feet to the neck gradually. The exercises are very simple, you can master them anywhere, including at work. You don't need a rug or uniform. Only your body and 10 minutes of free time.

Feet

In order to relax the feet, you need to rub them strongly and very vigorously: knead the entire foot and rub it vigorously with your fist. This is a good technique to relax the plantar aponeurosis. If you have already returned home, walk barefoot on the massage mat or roll the rolling pin intensively with the help of your feet. A hot foot bath will allow you to warm up your feet at 100%. Relaxing the feet, you will immediately feel relief in the neck.

shins

To stretch the calf muscle, stand facing the wall, rest your hands on it, and put your legs back so that an acute angle forms between the foot and the lower leg. To do this, the lower leg must be tilted forward. Alternately bending each knee, stretch the calf muscle. Surely, you have seen how athletes stretch their leg muscles before the distance. You need to do the same. When performing the exercise, there should be a clear feeling of stretching of the lower leg.

Back of the thigh, buttocks and back

This simple exercise will simultaneously stretch three sections of the muscle chain leading to the neck at once - the hip flexors, gluteal muscles, and the muscle that straightens the back. To do this, stand up and lean forward. No need to try to reach the floor with your palm, bend over as far as you feel comfortable. Make sure your knees are straight. Stay in this position for a while, feeling your muscles stretch.

Neck

Without leaving the previous position, standing in an inclination, try to relax your neck as much as possible and move your head from side to side. You need to imagine that she is a pendulum, or as if her head is suspended on a thread-neck. As a result, thanks to your relaxed movements and the weight that the head has, the neck muscles will stretch and relax.

These exercises are absolutely safe: they act very gently and do not give any side effects, while having a very high efficiency. When you work out the entire back muscle chain in this way, you will feel that the body has become much easier.

Stage three: a set of exercises for the neck

The following exercises will bring the whole complex to completion and you can get the maximum effect from independent work on relaxing the neck. However, these exercises can be used separately, but in combination with stretching the whole body, the effect will be more noticeable.

• Stretch the side of the neck. Starting position - standing, pull one arm down with force, while pulling the head in the opposite direction. For example - the left hand down, and the head - to the right. You should clearly feel the tension in the muscles of the left side of the neck. While maintaining tension, we smoothly change the position of the head, tilting a little forward and a little back to stretch all the fibers of the muscles of the lateral surface of the neck. Repeat this exercise on the opposite side of the body.

• Stretch the front of the neck. Starting position - standing. Only now both hands must be pulled down and slightly forward at the same time, and the head should be thrown back and the crown of the head should be directed down.

• Stretch the back of the neck. We collect hands in the castle, put them on the back of the head. On exhalation, we lower our head a little, on inhalation we try to raise it back, but with our hands we prevent this. Then exhale - and again lower our head a little. We repeat this until there is nowhere to lower our head. Then, very slowly, we remove our hands from our heads and straighten up. This exercise must be done carefully. After it, pull the front surface of the neck again.

• Lie on your back on a flat soft surface, with your thumbs feeling the middle of the lower edge of the back of the head. Spread your fingers apart without losing contact with the lower edge of the occiput, about 2-3 centimeters from the midline. Your fingers should fall into small triangular hollows. Begin to slowly dip your fingers into these hollows until you feel a slight soreness and leave your fingers in this position without increasing the impact. When you feel that the muscles "melt" under the fingers, and the fingers "failed", end the exercise. You must not inflict severe pain on yourself, it must remain very light, otherwise you will get the opposite effect of what you want.

At the end, be sure to lie down on a comfortable flat surface, placing a soft low pillow under your neck, which will pleasantly support the cervical curve of the spine. If possible, then do it during the day, if not, when you come home.

And please remember: the best treatment is prevention. In this case, during the day every 45-60 minutes or more often take a short break of about 5 minutes to walk around and stretch. And also - to sleep in complete relaxation and comfort.

So that your neck can rest at night, pay close attention to the choice of pillow. It should be comfortable and not oversized. By creating proper support for the neck, and giving it the right curve, the pillow will allow your muscles to finally relax during a night's sleep.

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Incorrect body position for a long time leads to severe spasms in the upper spine. Learning how to relax the muscles of the neck will be useful for everyone. No one is immune from pain.

Causes of pain

A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle affects a person's health. One of the main causes of pain in the neck is prolonged work at the computer. The muscles of the neck are in a state of tension for a long time. This causes symptoms such as: dizziness, backache in the cervical region and headache.

Neck muscle tension needs to be treated. Otherwise, there is a possibility of pinched nerves or a hernia.

Before carrying out medical therapy, it is necessary to determine the cause of the disease:

• mechanical damage to soft tissues or the spine;
• lack of useful trace elements or vitamin B;
• hypothermia;
• psychosomatics;
• diseases of an infectious nature;
• long stay in one position;
• rheumatism;
• inflammation of the spinal column;
• pinched nerve.

In osteochondrosis, disorders of the musculoskeletal system are determined by a number of signs. Visually, this is manifested in excessive stoop. Discomfort from the neck area extends to.

With neurosis, muscle clamps are formed. The chronic form of anxiety provokes an increase in tension in certain muscle groups. The load on the spine increases. For this reason, pain occurs. It is much more difficult to diagnose the pathology caused by neurosis.

The provoking factors in this case are:

• quarrel with a loved one;
• overwork at work;
• internal unconscious experiences;
• conflicts in the team.

Muscle strain often leads to the development of hyperlordosis. Pathology is characterized by a defect in the spinal column, which can be determined visually.

Ways to get rid of pain

Tension in the neck leads to impaired blood circulation in the collar zone. If the muscles are not relaxed, serious diseases will follow. This is due to a violation of the functioning of vital organs.

To eliminate the problem at home, gymnastics is practiced, aimed at relaxing problem areas, massage and stretching. With insufficient effectiveness of the methods, therapeutic therapy is prescribed.

Exercises

• Cross your arms over your head in a sitting position. As you inhale, slowly lower your head, touching your chest with your chin. As you inhale, raise your head, slightly spreading your elbows to the sides. The exercise is repeated 10 times.
• Sitting on a chair, carry out alternate tilts of the head to the sides. When tilting to the right, raise your left hand, when tilting to the left - right. Requires 10 repetitions.
• Bend your knees in a standing position. As you inhale, stretch your arms forward, clenching your hands into fists. As you exhale, rotate forward. After 10 repetitions, the exercises are repeated, but the arms rotate back.
• While inhaling deeply, tilt your head down and hold your breath. In this position, shrug your shoulders 3 times. As you exhale, return your head to its original position.
• Sitting in Turkish pose, cross your arms behind the back of your head. When tilting the head towards the chest, make turning movements from left to right.

Exercises are performed in a relaxed environment. It is enough to devote up to 20 minutes a day.

Stretching

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