Neck pain? Here are some ways to turn it around!
Do you find yourself getting a tension headache during busy times or stressful work? Do you find that you have neck tension that doesn't get better no matter how much you stretch?
It could be your posture and how you breathe!
Modern society more than encourages our forward head posture: laptops, driving the car, checking our phone, crafting, reading... shall I go on?! Our daily environment repetitively invites us to sit down and curl forward, which reinforces weak and inactive postural muscles. This continues year after year until we become so comfortable in that forward position that we don't notice the neck and upper back stiffness that gradually creeps in (we all do it—don’t feel bad)!
When we're in a forward posture, this causes our accessory, superficial muscles (like our scalenes) to become more active, overworked, and tight. It also makes our main breathing muscle—the diaphragm—work overtime because it becomes harder for the body to access it when we're scrunched up. These factors together can create the problem of constant, recurring tension in the neck.
When this happens, it deactivates the deep muscles in our neck that are responsible for keeping your head upright on your spine and actually supporting it there.
Click here to watch a video where a gentleman goes more in-depth on what accessory muscles are, how they have their place, but why they shouldn’t be our go-to for breathing!
It's so important to breathe properly through our diaphragm! Set a goal to practice for a week! There are so many benefits, such as:
Improves relaxation
Improves muscle function during exercise and prevents strain
Increases oxygenation in your blood overall
Improves gas exchange in your lungs
Reduces blood pressure
Reduces heart rate
With how stressful our modern lives can get, it's good to have some tools in our toolbox to promote relaxation!
So, if you've had headaches, neck pain, or tension that won’t go away—or if you just want to improve your posture: Click here for our desk break to help improve your posture!
Taking even 3 to 5 minutes a day and just focusing on your posture, tucking your chin, and breathing through your diaphragm can help tremendously in reducing pain. It can also help neurologically activate your neck's "core" and allow you breathe more freely.
Don't know how to breathe diaphragmatically? Here's a great video where Dr. Shyla explains how!
A lot of research supports these thoughts, and several studies show we can see benefits in as short as 2 weeks with only 5 minutes of practice each day. If you are interested, feel free to read the studies referenced below!
References
Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphragmatic-breathing
Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, et al. The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol. 2017;8:874. Published 2017 Jun 6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/
Hamasaki H. Effects of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Health: A Narrative Review. Medicines (Basel). 2020;7(10):65. Published 2020 Oct 15. doi:10.3390/medicines7100065
