All posts by Kathryn Merrow

Neck Pain

How To Relax Your Neck Muscles And Get Rid Of Neck Pain

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What causes pain in your neck?  Most often the cause is muscles.

Unless you had a traumatic accident which shifted your neck bones, muscles are generally to blame.  Even if the pain is caused by pressure on nerves, muscles are still the bad guy.  Muscles caused the pressure on the nerves to start in the first place.

Here are some ways to relax those neck muscles and take pressure off the nerves.

1.  Ice massage.  Use ice to massage the muscles in front on the sides and in back of your neck.  Also do the base of your skull and the top of your breastbone.  Go to http://SimplePainRelief.com and look for the Category for Ice and Heat.

2.  Do subtle, gentle movements.  Don’t try to force movement in your neck.  Rather, Continue reading How To Relax Your Neck Muscles And Get Rid Of Neck Pain →

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Neck Pain

Neck Pain – How To Get Rid Of The Pain In Your Neck

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Here’s how neck pain starts.  Your neck is attached to your shoulders.  And to your upper back.  And to your chest and abdomen.  And to your lower back. Your legs.  Feet, too.

Your neck muscles got tight and crabby because all of those muscles from all over your body were pulling on your neck and head.

When your head started moving forward (because the muscles in the front of your body were pulling it)  in front of your body instead of over it–when your perfect posture started to collapse–gravity was able to grab Continue reading Neck Pain – How To Get Rid Of The Pain In Your Neck →

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Upper Back Pain

How To Get Rid Of Knots In Your Upper Back

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I woke up with a knot in my back just the other day.  I must have slept crooked.   It’s amazing how we can do damage to ourselves even in our sleep!

I could also feel pulling on my hip bone as well as the front of my neck and had pain in the back/top of my head and tenderness under my arm when I pressed on it.

I pressed into all of those areas and I also pressed into the muscles on and along my breastbone.  I used the “shotgun approach” (pressing everywhere) since I wasn’t sure what exactly started it.  My knot was gone by the end of the day.

And, you see, finding the CAUSE of your knot is a big part of the battle.

That’s why I created the Knots In Your Back program for natural relief.  (<– click here.)

And since everything in your body is attached, every part has an effect on every other part.

Using pressure on Continue reading How To Get Rid Of Knots In Your Upper Back →

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Upper Back Pain

Get The Natural Curves Back In Your Spine And Reduce Neck And Back Pain

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If you have lost the natural curves in your spine there is a good chance that you suffer from neck and back pain.

When you were born you were curled into a rounded-back position.   In a little while you began to stretch your arms and legs and rolled over and arched your back in the opposite direction of that birth position.  You pushed up with your arms and lifted your head.

Why?

You were getting the muscles around your spine and torso ready to walk!  You were creating the natural curves in your back that you needed.

So now you have back or neck pain but bodies heal all the time.

It’s important for you to know this.  Bodies (to read the rest of this article click this link–>) http://simplepainrelief.com/2010/01/08/how-to-get-the-natural-curves-back-in-your-spine-to-improve-posture-and-reduce-neck-and-back-pain/

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Scoliosis

What Causes Scoliosis?

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Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine.  It may be from front to back or from side to side.  There are several causes and the most common cause is muscles pulling on your bones.

Here are some of the most common causes:

If muscles get tight in a certain area they will pull on the bones they are attached to.  It’s similar to a bow and arrow action.  That’s cause number one.

Cause number two of scoliosis is a shortened Continue reading What Causes Scoliosis? →

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Scoliosis, Upper Back Pain

Scoliosis Causes Upper Back Pain

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Scoliosis or curvature of the spine can cause upper back pain.  It can also cause pain in your mid-back and other parts of your body.  But, you may not have to have it!

Scoliosis can very often be helped by a muscle specialist.  But there are different types of practitioners.

Is your therapist a doctor? Massage therapist? Physio- or physical therapist?  Different therapists have different training (or lack of) and different ideas.  They may or may not agree with what I say.  They may or may not know much about muscles!

Scoliosis can have a few different causes but Continue reading Scoliosis Causes Upper Back Pain →

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Lower Back Pain

You Can Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain By Walking

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Walking is wonderful medicine.  It is all natural and, in fact, you were built to walk!

Walking can help you be happier, healthier and stronger. It has a TON of health benefits! And it can help you reduce or totally get rid of your lower back pain and anxiety and stress.

You see, you were built to move. We all were. Movement reduces stress. Not moving lets stressful feelings grow.

Movement keeps muscles and joints working well. Not moving helps create muscle and joint pain.

And walking is one of the most natural, simple and easy ways for you to start moving. It’s one of the least expensive, too. If you have two feet and a comfortable pair of shoes, you’re most of the way there.

I remember when I worked in an office all day. Lots of folks think that would be a pretty cushy job. But sitting all day is hard work! Your body isn’t moving. Muscle stress builds and so does mental stress.

By the time I got home, I didn’t feel so well. Tight back and shoulders. Tense.

Is that you?  Are you stuck in a seated position most of the day?  And now Continue reading You Can Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain By Walking →

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Upper Back Pain

Did You Wake Up With A Muscle Knot In Your Shoulder?

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It seems like just this morning that I woke up with a “knot” between my spine and shoulder blade.  In fact, it was just this morning.  Sometimes when I sleep on my side that happens.

Side sleeping can cause muscle spasms or knots in your upper back like this:  The shoulder you are sleeping on is rolled forward.  The muscles between your shoulder blade and spine get pulled or stretched.  They don’t like it so they go into a type of spasm or contraction.  That is your muscle knot.

Here’s some quick self-help.

Tennis Ball Therapy to the rescue!  Lay on your back and place a tennis ball or similar ball under your knot.  Just lay on it for about 5 minutes.  In about 5 minutes you will notice you don’t feel the painful knot or Continue reading Did You Wake Up With A Muscle Knot In Your Shoulder? →

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Upper Back Pain

Why Didn’t Therapeutic Massage Get Rid Of Your Upper Back Pain or Knot?

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Massage is wonderful for relieving all kinds of back pain and I recommend therapeutic massage for almost every type of physical pain.

Why?  Because it works!

Massage is old medicine.  Very old.  It’s used all over the world for a wide variety of ailments as a medical treatment.  I even met a doctor from a European country who was trained do to massage in medical school.

But sometimes when you go to a massage therapist your back pain doesn’t go away.

Maybe it feels better for a short time, or even just while the therapist is working on your painful area.  (Or not.)  But, it comes right back.  Or, it is back within just a few hours.

When that has happened with any of my clients, I told them what that meant.

That meant I was wrong about the cause of their symptom (their pain.)  It means I didn’t work on the muscles or soft tissue that was the true cause of their pain.  That means we have to try again.

You see, there can be more than one cause.

The unfortunate thing is, many massage therapists only know how to do a relaxation-type massage.  Relaxation or stress-reduction massages can be really great, but…

When you have pain, a relaxation massage probably won’t give you much benefit.  In fact, you may be very disappointed.

So, if you have upper back pain and want relief you will have to find a massage professional who “knows his or her stuff.”  Someone who can Continue reading Why Didn’t Therapeutic Massage Get Rid Of Your Upper Back Pain or Knot? →

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Upper Back Pain

What Muscle Causes Pain In Your Upper Back & Pain In Your Hand, Too?

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Did you know there are muscles in your neck that can cause knots in your back, pain on your shoulder and arm and symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, too?  Pretty busy muscles, aren’t they? 🙂

Those muscles are called the scalene muscles.

When the “knot” between your spine and shoulder blade “won’t” go away, blame the scalene muscles.  They may be the culprit.

Your knot cannot go away until the scalene muscles are released (relaxed.)  The knot is a symptom; the scalenes are the cause.

And if you also have carpal tunnel symptoms and they “won’t” go away with conventional medical treatment or massage, blame the scalenes.  The symptoms can go away when the cause (the scalene muscle) is released.

Nerves run from your neck bones to your upper body and arms.  If those nerves get compressed, or pressed on, by the scalene muscles they can cause uncomfortable sensations (and Continue reading What Muscle Causes Pain In Your Upper Back & Pain In Your Hand, Too? →

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