Over the weekend, a client contacted me complaining of neck pain when moving her head in flexion and extension. I find the common tendency with these kinds of symptoms is to massage and stretch the neck specifically in the direction of the discomfort.
She wasn’t able to come in for a session for a few days. So I gave her some movement tips based upon what we’ve been working on already. Instead of focusing on the neck.
I had her work on bigger movements through the spine and hips, with an emphasis on rotation and lateral flexion.
Last night I received a text:
“You are a wise dude. The lateral movements are totally helping.”
Bring Back Movement Function
We move in three deminsions. Sometimes the deminsion of movement that feels tight, restricted, or painful is just a symptom for what isn’t working in another dimension. And the specific location of pain or discomfort is actually the area of the body that is working well. The problem is that it is compensating for a deminsion of movement elsewhere that isn’t moving well. The painful area is working so hard that it becomes cranky.
Bring back the movement function elsewhere and the localized symptoms of pain improve. This is why a skilled Movement Therapist, personal trainer, or coach is so valuable.