Thursday 24 May 2018


Neck pain: A Problem of Posture and Tension

Most neck pain is caused by tension and posture issues.  Daily life stressors and anxiety are perhaps the most frequent cause of neck pain, as stress increases the muscle tone in structures of the body that require frequent muscle activation to stabilize, the neck is the primary victim of your stress.

If frequent, there could be association with migraines and headaches, which is called cervicogenic headache. With regards to posture, a slouched posture that constantly places the head or the shoulder in a forward position, will shorten the suboccipital muscle groups (a series of short/strong muscles that connect the back of the neck to the skull) and these will tilt the skull on the neck vertebrae, placing tension on the muscles, and restrictions to the blood flow of the vertebral artery, and thus create neck pain, headaches, and migraines. Maintaining this posture of backward bending or extension over time, will also put much pressure on the facet joints, in the back of the cervical spine, and will translate onto osteoarthritis of the neck that will also cause chronic pain.

Click here to read more information in this article by Gerardo A Jara PT, DPT, or call us and schedule your consultation and therapeutic massage. 

Marsha McArthur, LMT, BCTMB, DOMP
Asclepieion Massage Therapy
The Art and Science of Healing Bodywork
520-355-0819

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