It might just be one of the most common issues in this day and age – a sore neck. There are many theories as to why your neck might be spontaneously sore one day, each one individual and each one different to another.
Here are the top reasons why you might have a sore neck (and it might not actually be because of how you slept the night before)
1. You’re stressed
You’ve probably read it a million times before, and it probably isn’t as weird, but it’s a huge underlying contributor to neck stiffness and pain. You might not even feel stressed but being anxious about an upcoming exam, or worrying about your finances or even being late to work can all add to accumulated life stress.
The fix: myotherapy is a double whammy as massage can work as both a treatment to decrease stiffness in the neck from a musculoskeletal stand-point, and also stress reliever.
2. You tried snowboarding/skiing for the first time
Trying a sport for the first time always results in a pretty stiff body the morning after and neck pain after your first day on the slopes isn’t that uncommon, especially if you found yourself face first in the snow more than you did upright. Falling during snow sports is inevitable and falling at a fast speed, wearing a helmet can cause acute whiplash and pain in the neck the following day. The combination of the speed at which you fall and potentially hit your head as well as the weight of the snow-sport helmet are a matcha made in heaven for a sore neck the next day.
The fix: book into see us at Melbourne Myotherapy and Remedial Massage for some manual mobilisation and stretching of the neck and some take-home exercises and stretches for you to do at home.
3. You’re doing your core crunches wrong
With summer quickly approaching, the whole of Melbourne is jumping on the ‘summer body transformation’ bandwagon so it’s not surprising to see a few more neck issues coming from improper form from the daily ab-crunches. For a newbie into fitness, or even a fatigued veteran, repetitive passive neck flexion whilst doing a large number of core-crunches will put strain on the neck and cause some neck pain.
The fix: Work on keeping your chin to your chest and not pulling your head up as you crunch. Allow for the whole movement to come from the core- you might find that you can’t crunch as much, but you’ll save your neck instead.
4. Your sports bra is too tight
This one is for the females. Although a tight fitting sports bra is the aim, getting a bra that is too tight can put a lot of pressure on your upper trap muscles and cause a dull, aching neck pain.
The fix: opting for a thin strap crop if you can or getting a proper fight by a specialist. In the meantime, remedial massage or myotherapy can work to decrease the stiffness and dull, aching pain until you’re ready for your new bra.
5. You went to a cheap massage venue and got deep tissue massage on your neck and shoulders
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with massage venues as a means of relaxation however, not many are trained in therapeutic deep tissue and remedial massage techniques especially when comes to recovery and rehabilitation. You might find that you are walking out a little bit more bruised and battered than when you walked in as a result of this.
The fix: if you’ve got niggling pains or chronic neck issues, make sure to book into a qualified and experienced myotherapist or remedial massage specialist to apply manual therapy and massage techniques to help treat your neck issues.