Can Massage Help a Pinched Nerve in the Neck? What To Know
Waking up with a sharp, burning pain in your neck can be alarming — especially when turning your head is enough to send a zap running down your back or shoulders. If you’ve been dealing with someth...
How Tight Neck Muscles Cause Shoulder Pain (& What To Do About It)
When it comes to aches and pains, the neck-shoulder connection is something almost all of us will run into at some point. Shoulder pain is one of the most common muscle and joint-related complaints...
Side-of-Neck Massage: 3 Techniques for Deep Muscle Tension
With neck pain affecting up to 40% of people each year, it’s no surprise that the neck is one of the most common — and troubling — spots for tension to show up. And if you’re like many, the muscles...
Cervical Trigger Points: Causes, Symptoms, & How To Find Relief
Trigger points (also called muscle knots) will impact 85% of people at some point or another, and the neck can be one of their favorite places to show up. When you have a neck trigger point, you m...
Tight SCM Muscle (Sternocleidomastoid)? 7 Remedies for Relief
Does your neck feel tight or stiff when you look side to side? The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) — the large muscle running along the side of your neck — may be playing a role. As a main muscle that he...
Levator Scapulae Massage: 3 Techniques for Tension Relief
The levator scapulae isn’t thought about often, but this small, strap-like muscle does a lot behind the scenes. Its name roughly translates to “lifter of the shoulder blade,” which is one of its ma...
Can Massage Help Cervicogenic Headaches? What To Know
If you’re one of up to 4% of people living with cervicogenic headaches (CGH), you know how painful they can be. The name “cervicogenic” means these headaches originate in the neck, whether from the...
How To Massage the Splenius Capitis for Neck Pain Relief
At just a few inches long, the splenius capitis is a small, hardworking neck muscle that can be easy to overlook. But if you’re one of the 10% of people currently battling neck pain, you might wond...
How Stress Causes Neck Pain — and What To Do About It
At first, the effects of stress and anxiety might seem obvious — a rapid heartbeat, racing thoughts, or just generally feeling on edge. But it may surprise you to learn that the stiff, painful feel...
How To Get Rid of Trapezius Trigger Points: 4 Simple Ways
Have you ever noticed just how much tension lives in your trapezius muscles? If so, you’re certainly not alone. These busy back muscles are some of the hardest working in the body, and they’re also...
Neck Sore After Sleeping? 5 Remedies + Prevention Tips
How often do you wake up with a sore neck after sleeping? If you’re like up to 50% of people, you’ll run into some form of neck pain at least once every year — and for many, that pain hits hardest ...
Does Neck Massage Help TMJ Pain? What To Know
When people think of TMJ pain, they usually picture the jaw itself — especially the masseter muscles, which are among some of the strongest in the body. But if you’re one of the 15% of adults livin...