Shoulder Blade Knots & Neck Pain?
The magic move you need to try RIGHT NOW
🎅 Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus...🤶
…And shoulder pain & neck tension? Nooooo!
It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
And yet, it can feel like the most stressful time of the year.
Unfortunately, we often carry our stress in our neck and shoulders muscles.
This leads to softball-sized knots, stabbing pain between the shoulder blades, and even tension headaches.
Let’s focus on a simple, actionable movement you can do to relieve that pain and tension.
JUST ONE THING
Why do your neck and shoulders end up hurting so bad?
When you’re stressed, a natural response is to tense up, and slightly elevate and pull the shoulders forward.
(I bet right now, your shoulder are up by your ears, aren’t they? 😏)
Your JUST ONE THING to Relieve Neck & Shoulder Pain
Do Shoulder Blade Glides
Combine your stress with looking down at your phone, doing dishes or wrapping gifts…
And ⚡️ZAP⚡️!
The knot arrives and the stabbing pain hits you right between your shoulder blades.
Don’t ignore the pain and hope it will go away on its own.
One of the best moves you can do to reset your upper back, neck and shoulders is to move your shoulder blades around in really big motions.
Yep, it’s that simple!
This motion:
- Actively stretches the aggravated tissues
- Helps to “turn off” your tense neck muscles
- And “turns on” the muscles that support your posture.
Try it right now—it instantly feels amazing!
Shoulder Glides
- Extend arms out straight and shrug your shoulders as much as you can forward & back, spreading the shoulder blades apart and then pinching them together.
- Then try the same “shrugging” motion with your ams up at a 45 degree angle, down low, and even moving in big circles.
- Do 10 reps in each position.
Extra Tip: If you find yourself in the middle of an activity that tends to strain your neck & shoulders (gift wrapping?!), pause every 10-15 minutes and do 10 of these shoulder glides.
Did You Know...
- Many chronic shoulder pain issues (like rotator cuff pain and impingement or bursitis) stem from “sticky” and immobile shoulder blades. Remember: Motion is Lotion. Get them moving!
- Shoulder blade glides are a great way to maintain some shoulder strength if you have a shoulder injury keeping you from exercising fully. This move offers support without aggravating the healing tissues.
- Your breathing counts too! When we’re stressed, we are more likely to take short & shallow breaths, using the muscles around the collarbones to help breathe - which can lead to neck strain over time. Deep belly breathing exercises can help decrease shoulder and neck pain by shifting how you breathe. Watch this to see how!
Until next week... Be strong💪
