Neck Pain In The High Tech Era
In this day and age, if you haven’t experienced neck pain you are incredibly fortunate. Approximately 30 to 50% of individuals deal with some form of neck pain, whether temporary or chronic. There are numerous causes of neck pain, such as the position of the neck when working on a computer, looking at a mobile device, post-accident injury to the neck, sports and exercise to name a few.
An adult head weighs approximately 11lbs and the neck fully supports this weight. If you are looking down at your phone or tablet for hours per day, then you will start to experience wear and tear from that alone. Hence why people of all ages experience text neck, it stems from just that, the position of your head and neck while on a mobile device.
Should You Use A Massage Gun To Alleviate Neck Pain?
There are numerous options that can alleviate neck pain, such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, and massage. But the question remains, is using a massage gun on your neck a good idea? Yes, but there is a caveat.
Massage gun therapy is a fantastic way to alleviate neck aches and pains. The percussive motion of this type of massager reduces inflammation and stimulates blood flow to the area, which is a healing mechanism. Though, there are do’s and don'ts to using a massage gun for the purpose of neck pain, because you want to make sure that you alleviate the pain and not worsen it.
The Do's and Don'ts of Using a Massage Gun for Neck Pain
Don’t use the massage gun directly on your neck. This may sound counterproductive, but it’s a safety issue. We want to keep you and your neck intact. If you apply the massage gun directly to your neck it could interfere with blood flow to the brain, as well as possibly cause tears in your arteries.
Do use the massage gun on your trapezius and shoulders. When applying the massager to these areas make sure that you only massage the muscles and not bones.
Don’t over use the massage gun when treating neck pain. When you massage your shoulder and trapezius areas, limit use for up to 2 minutes per area. At times we may think that more is better but in this case more can do more harm than good.
Do apply a light pressure and a circular motion. This movement will provide the ultimate benefits of stimulating blood flow to the area, reducing inflammation, which in turn alleviates pain.
Massage Gun Benefits for Neck Pain
Massage guns provide excellent benefits when used correctly, such as alleviating aches and pains, promoting relaxation, stimulating blood flow and circulation, as well as lymphatic flow, improved sleep, boosts immune system, nervous system stimulation, more. Although the neck area is very sensitive and should be treated with caution, treating the surrounding muscles will do the trick. Sometimes we think that the root of the problem is the root cause, but it is most likely surrounding muscles that are wreaking havoc on a particular area, such as the neck.
Wishing you happy and healthy massaging!