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Neck & Shoulder Pain
Neck and shoulder pain can make everything from working and sleeping to turning your head uncomfortable. Improving mobility may help many people ease tension and move more comfortably.
Start With Something Simple
When your neck or shoulders are bothering you, one of the simplest things you can do is get your whole body moving.
Walking is a great place to start. As you walk, pay attention to your arms. Are they naturally swinging at your sides, or are you holding one or both arms fairly still? You don't need to exaggerate the movement, but allowing your arms to swing naturally can encourage movement through your shoulders, upper back, and the rest of your body.
You can also try a couple of gentle stretches:
Upper Trapezius Stretch
Sit or stand tall with your head facing straight ahead. Slowly tilt your left ear toward your left shoulder until you feel a gentle stretch along the right side of your neck and upper shoulder. You can gently reach your right hand toward the floor to increase the stretch slightly. Hold for 10–20 seconds, then switch sides. Repeat 2–3 times on each side.
Levator Scapulae Stretch
Turn your head about halfway toward one shoulder, then gently look downward as though you're looking toward your armpit. You should feel a stretch along the back and side of your neck. Hold for 10–20 seconds, then switch sides. Repeat 2–3 times on each side.
Keep both stretches gentle. Never force the movement or push farther because you think more stretch must be better. Stay within a comfortable range that doesn't increase the pain you're already experiencing.
Your Neck and Shoulders Are Built for Movement
Your shoulder is one of the most mobile areas of your body. It allows you to reach overhead, behind your back, across your body, and in almost every direction in between. Your neck is also designed to move in several directions so you can turn, tilt, look up, and look down. But all of that movement requires a lot of different structures to work together.
Your upper arm, shoulder blade, collarbone, rib cage, upper back, neck, muscles, and other soft tissues all contribute to the way your neck and shoulders move. So there can be many different reasons your neck or shoulder may be bothering you. Sometimes there has been an obvious injury. Other times discomfort may gradually develop alongside muscle tension, repetitive activity, spending long periods in the same position, or restricted movement through the neck, shoulder, upper back, or surrounding areas.
When movement becomes restricted in one area, other areas may begin moving differently to compensate. Muscles may have to work harder, tension can build, and movements that normally feel easy may start feeling stiff or uncomfortable. That's why simply rubbing the spot that hurts doesn't always address the bigger picture.
Helping restore healthy movement gives the neck, shoulders, and surrounding areas a better opportunity to work together the way they were designed.
It's All Connected
As previously mentioned, even though you're feeling the problem in your neck or shoulders, the area that's hurting may not be the only area influencing your neck and shoulder pain. Your neck, shoulders, rib cage, spine, and pelvis all participate in the way your body moves. That's one reason Myopractic begins with the pelvis and then works through the entire body rather than simply focusing on the area where you're experiencing symptoms.
What to Expect From Myopractic Care for Neck and Shoulder Pain
Your Myopractor will evaluate how your body is moving and look for areas where movement may be restricted.
From there, we use hands-on techniques to help improve movement throughout your body. Your session may include soft-tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, stretching, and other techniques based on what we find and what your body needs that day. If tension and restricted movement are contributing to your neck or shoulder pain, particular attention will be given to restoring healthy movement through the neck, shoulders, upper back, ribs, and surrounding areas while still considering how the rest of your body is moving. Rather than applying the exact same routine to everyone, your session is guided by what we find as we evaluate how your body is moving.
As Myopractors, we're good at helping people move and feel better. But we're still only one piece of the puzzle. An important one, but just one piece.
What you do outside of your sessions matters even more. The more you understand your body and take an active role in your own health, the more you can support and accelerate the progress we make together. When neck and shoulder pain is an issue, everyday habits can play an important role in helping you maintain the progress you're making and keep feeling your best. Our goal isn't to make you dependent on frequent care. it's to help you get back to moving and feeling your best, so your body doesn't keep you from doing the things you love. That's the idea behind the Life Is Motion Newsletter. Each article shares practical ideas to help you better understand your body, move better, build simple habits, and become the healthiest version of yourself.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
The good news is that often people notice relief in their first session.
Additional sessions build on that progress.
If you've been dealing with neck and shoulder pain for a while, we wouldn't expect one session to completely resolve a long-standing pattern. But that doesn't mean you have to wait weeks or months before you start noticing a difference. How much care you'll need depends on what we find: how long the pattern has been present, how frequently you're experiencing discomfort, and how your body responds.
That's one of the reasons we created our New Client 3-Visit Package. Your first session gives us an opportunity to begin making meaningful progress, while the next two allow us to continue addressing remaining tension and restrictions.
By the end of your third session, not only will you hopefully feel much better, but together we'll have a much clearer sense of the progress you're making, giving us a much better idea of what you may or may not need going forward.
New Client 3-Visit Package
Includes your Initial Evaluation & Treatment, plus 2 additional Standard Myopractic sessions.
Often people notice a real difference after just one session, but lasting results typically take some consistency up front. By the end of your third session, you'll likely have a much clearer picture of how your body is responding, and we'll be able to give you better guidance on what you may—or may not—need beyond that point.
Package credits can be used at either of our offices.
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Ready to Schedule?
Each Myopractic session begins by getting the hips balanced and moving, followed by a whole-body evaluation and treatment. Rather than just focusing only on where you're experiencing discomfort, Myopractic care looks at how the body is moving as a whole to identify and address areas of restriction. Whether you're dealing with pain, limited mobility, or simply want your body moving and functioning at its best, you can schedule your appointment below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can Myopractic help with neck and shoulder pain?
Neck and shoulder pain can make working, sleeping and even turning your head uncomfortable. Myopractic starts with the pelvis, one of its central focuses, and takes a full-body approach from there to help improve mobility through the ribs, upper back, neck and shoulders. As their mobility improves, many people find they move more comfortably throughout their whole body, including their neck and shoulders. Results vary from person to person.
Can desk work and phone use contribute to neck and shoulder tension?
They can for many people. Our bodies where built to move, so spending long periods in the same position, such as sitting at a desk or looking down at a phone, can add muscle tension and restrict movement through the neck, shoulders and upper back. Other areas may then move differently to compensate, so tension can build. Changing positions often and getting your whole body moving can help many people feel less stiff.
Why can neck and shoulder pain have so many different causes?
Your upper arm, shoulder blade, collarbone, rib cage, upper back, neck and surrounding muscles all contribute to how your neck and shoulders move. Sometimes there is an obvious injury, and other times discomfort develops gradually alongside muscle tension, repetitive activity or restricted movement. When one area moves less, others may work harder to compensate. That's why we look at how the whole body is moving, starting with the pelvis, rather than only rubbing the spot that hurts.
What can I try at home for neck and shoulder tension?
Walking is a great place to start. Let your arms swing naturally as you walk, since that can encourage movement through your shoulders, upper back and the rest of your body. You can also try a gentle upper trapezius stretch or levator scapulae stretch, holding each for 10 to 20 seconds, two or three times per side. Keep the stretches gentle and stay within a comfortable range that doesn't increase your pain. For a general tension release routine you can do at home, download our free Tension Release Process guide.
When should I see a doctor about neck or shoulder pain?
Seek medical care promptly if your pain follows a significant injury, or comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness or weakness in an arm, or fever. Persistent, severe or unexplained pain should also be evaluated by a healthcare provider.
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Contact
Natural Motion Myopractics
Mesa: 4447 E. Broadway Rd. Ste. 108, Mesa, AZ 85206
Queen Creek: 22707 S. Ellsworth Rd. H-104, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Phone: 480-712-2555