Pec Stretches for Upper Back Pain Relief

Many people come into my Beverly Hills chiropractic office asking what they can do to stretch their upper backs.  Upper back pain and stiffness has become more common as the use of computers and laptops has increased.  I always say that the best stretch for the upper back is really a stretch for the chest, because when the chest muscles (pectorals major and minor) get tight, they can cause the the upper back muscles to become overactive.

As far as I'm concerned, pec stretches are fundamental, so EVERYONE should be doing them.  But especially people with neck pain, upper back stiffness or shoulder injuries should ultimately open up their chest areas.  Watch the video below to see the best pec stretch for flexibility and upper back pain relief.

Brugger Relief Position for Neck and Upper Back Pain Relief

Achy, sore neck and upper back following a long day in front of the computer?  Work at a desk and at day's end feel like your head weighs a ton?  Perhaps you're a student, head down, nose in the books all day long...that can certainly cause a stiff neck.  Architect?  Lots of driving?  T.V. in bed?  All these activities are common causes of neck and upper back pain and discomfort.

A perfect exercise to help the office worker, student, computer junkie, or couch crasher is something called the Brugger relief position.  This position works by engaging the postural muscles of the spine, holding the body upright.  While it may be uncomfortable for a few people at first (habitual slouchers), engaging the postural muscles takes pressure off the ligaments, which hold the spine up during slouching, and ultimately leads to upper back pain relief.

Watch the video below to see how to properly do the Brugger relief position at home or at work.  Do this exercise every day, minimum five times, until your body is used to the posture.  Then you can do the exercise whenever you start to feel stiff or sore in the neck or upper back.  This exercise does wonders for low back pain, too.

West Hollywood Chiropractic: Exercises For Neck And Upper Back Pain Relief

I have been showing you exercises to strengthen your upper back, primarily the lower trapezius muscles.  The trapezius is a large diamond-shaped muscle that connects the neck to the shoulders (scapula or shoulder blades).  Although the trapezius is one muscle, we split it into regions based on the actions each does.  So the upper trapezius shrugs the shoulders, the middle trapezius retracts or pulls back the shoulders, and the lower trapezius stabilizes the scapula by anchoring them down so that the arms can do overhead movements.

When the lower trapezius gets weak, it disrupts shoulder biomechanics and can lead to an upper trap-heavy posture, including neck and upper back pain  One way to correct this is by doing wall slide exercises.  Wall slides are NOT lat pull downs; it is a separate and distinct movement, which requires no weights.  Watch the video below to get an idea of how to do proper wall slides.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Relaxation Technique Relaxes Stiff, Tight Neck Muscles

People presenting to my Beverly Hills chiropractic office with neck pain and stiffness can expect a comprehensive evaluation to determine the source of their discomfort.  What I find in the large majority of these people is that sitting in a hunched forward posture for several hours a day either driving or working on a computer leads to tight, sore muscles of the neck and upper shoulders.

The muscles most commonly afflicted are the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles.  These two shoulder elevators develop spasm and trigger points when held continuously in a shrugged position--the common postural position of somebody slumping forward.  The muscles will also, over time, develop shortness and tightness or lose length.  Further, being in the contracted state that persistent shrugging causes, the muscles ultimately have difficulty relaxing or going into a rest position.  This is felt by the person suffering as "constant neck stiffness and tightness" that is unrelieved by anything they try whether stretching or massage.

My sports chiropractic work focuses on de-contracting contracted muscle.  I do this through a technique called post-isometric relaxation (PIR), which takes advantage of muscle fiber physiology to get the muscles to understand, neurologically, to relax.  PIR is more than a stretch; in fact, you cannot stretch out a hyper-contraction.  Many people try, but make matters worse.  All muscles have receptors in place that prevent excessive stretching of the tissue.  Stretching into a contraction makes these receptors fire, contracting the muscle even more.  Doh!

Watch the video below to get an idea of how PIR works.  And if you have neck pain and stiffness that seems unresponsive to stretching and massage, call your local sports chiropractor for a full neck pain assessment.  If you are in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, sports chiropractic and PIR is just a phone call away.

West Hollywood Chiropractic: Neck and Upper Back Pain Origins

Having neck pain?  The location and origin of your neck pain can tell you a lot, most importantly, what you can do about it.  Do you need a sports chiropractor, a massage therapist, or is this something you can take care of on your own?  Read the article here to get a better understanding of where your neck pain might be coming from, and watch the video below to help determine how you might find neck pain relief.

Are You Breathing Properly?

 

Did you know there is a right and a wrong way to breathe?  It's true.  And if you are like most people, you are probably doing the latter.  Unfortunate, but not uncorrectable.

Proper breathing requires contraction of the diaphragm--the main muscle of respiration.  Many people stop using the diaphragm completely when they breathe, and instead kick in the accessory muscles of the neck and upper back.  We call this dysfunctional breathing pattern chest breathing.  To see if you are a chest breather, please read the article and watch the video below.  Chest breathers tend to have higher incidences of neck pain, and they get less oxygen to the body on each breath.  If you didn't know that oxygen is necessary for cellular respiration, and thus life, you do now.  Diaphragmatic breathing (or abdominal breathing) is essential for good health.

If you are a chest breather, you can revert back to the natural diaphragmatic breathing you were meant to do.  Just watch the video below to learn a quick and easy exercise to restore normal, functional breathing; and read this article if you want more information on breathing properly.

TMJ Syndrome Pain Relief

TMJ syndrome is a painful condition of the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint).  Many people suffer from TMJ syndrome without even knowing it.  They may have neck pain; they may have headaches; they may have no pain at all, but an annoying clicking and popping of the jaw.

TMJ syndrome does not have to be a chronic condition, though.  I treat many people with TMJ syndrome in my Los Angles, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood chiropractic clinic.  To see how I might treat someone with this painful jaw condition, please watch the video below.

For more information on TMJ syndrome--it's causes as well as it's solution, please read the article here.

Neck Pain and Chiropractic

Neck pain is the most common thing I see in my Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood chiropractic clinic during the hot months of summer and fall.  Whether from sleeping with the air conditioner on or with a window open, that cold breeze can lead to an eight hour muscle spasm locking-up the neck for days, weeks or even months afterwards.

Neck pain, however, is not always that simple.  What I mean is that there are many different causes of neck pain and getting neck pain relief really depends on the proper treatment.  For that, you need to have a proper diagnosis.  Chiropractic can help with many forms of neck pain, but again, knowing what is causing the disorder will help the chiropractor provide the best chiropractic adjustment

Read this article written for my website drnickcampos.com to learn what you can do to get your neck pain properly diagnosed and treated, as well learning which neck exercises and stretches will be the best prevention.  Don't suffer from neck pain needlessly; read this article and you'll be that much closer to getting neck pain relief.

For a look at what a chiropractic neck adjustment looks like, watch the video.


 

I Think I've Got It

O.k. my neck started bothering me again this morning. If you've read my entry from last month, Even Chiropractors Need Chiropractic, then you'll remember that I've been having neck pain on and off for about a month and a half.

What gives? You're a chiropractor Campos.

I've told you, chiropractors need chiropractic the most.

Anyway, I've been noticing that the discomfort would begin after a leisurely night in front of the T.V. on my...seven year old couch. Aha! It all makes sense now. My couch is so worn that I sink into it, which forces the muscles in the back of my neck to contract. Do this for and hour, two hours...o.k., o.k., SIX HOURS, I admit it...your neck is going to ache. Try holding a baseball bat out at arm's length for 60 seconds and see what happens. This happens to the neck muscles too, just not as quickly, or as dramatically.

So, duh, I hadn't considered that before: a couch - like a bed - needs to be replaced, and probably within around the same amount of time. If you're not sure when to replace your bed, then please read my article How Sweet the Sleep 2. Now, for some people, the couch sees more action than the bed. If that the case, you'll need to replace the couch sooner. Clearly, my couch has seen a lot of action.

For you do it yourselfers - check out this cool page on replacing the cushions of your sofa.

And another all about cushions.