Shoulder Pain: Acupuncture to the Rescue!
Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could get one acupuncture treatment and all your problems were fixed and gone forever? Unfortunately, life conspires to make that nearly impossible. In today's world of technology and computers, phones and tablets, the amount of looking down and using your hands and arms in positions they were never designed for, create long term, chronic issues. So, it takes consistent regular acupuncture and body work to unwind those patterns.
Do you struggle with neck and or shoulder pain, maybe even thumb and hand pain? The first thing you must do is begin to pay attention! Pay attention to how you are holding your neck when you are looking at your phone or computer ...are you always gazing down? If so, be sure to take periodic breaks and look up and away and side to side, as far over each shoulder as you can. When you are outside, remember to look up at the stars or clouds and give your neck and head a break.
Another thing to check yourself on is how you are holding your phone. If you are grasping it with fingers and thumbs and using thumbs to support the phone and type on it, you are heading for serious repetitive-use pain and anguish. Again, it’s all about paying attention and changing the way you do things. If you begin to make changes before you have pain and problems, it will make your hands very happy!
So, noticing what you're doing to cause your pain is the first step in addressing it. The second step is to treat it. One of the best ways to treat chronic muscular pain is consistent, regular acupuncture. One of our skilled acupuncturists will know how to unwind and release trigger points (hyperirritable spots that feel like knots, that refer pain to other areas of the body) and also release the adhesions in the fascia that contribute to the muscles staying out of their correct pattern.
Pain patterns begin when muscle cells and fascia, the connective tissue that holds everything together, begin to adhere together in patterns they aren’t designed to be in. For example, the bent head posture so many of us are guilty of from looking down at our phones and tablets. Over time, the back muscles get elongated and tight and the front chest muscles end up shortened and stiff. It becomes more and more difficult to stand up straight and put your shoulders back. As you age, you can develop what is known as the 42 pound head, which is what your head seems to weigh to your spine when the head posture is too far forward. As part of your consultation, we will look at your posture and determine what muscles are inhibited and which ones are lengthened and need to be retrained. We will use acupuncture, herbs, topical herbs and special exercises to help you get back to a pain free body and mind.
Consistent acupuncture and bodywork will help you unwind and then retrain those muscles so you are out of pain and can stand up straight again. Call us today to find out more, or feel free to book online. One of our acupuncturists can help you unwind that “tech neck” and those forward shoulders so you feel great and look great too! 910.262.1122 Ext 2