How to Massage Your Neck Pain Away

Neck pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical treatment. In fact, the lifetime prevalence of a significant neck pain episode ranges from 40 to 70 percent. But you don't have to let it become a constant problem: regular massage treatments can help you manage it, especially if you are suffering from neck pain long after a neck injury has occurred.

The condition often occurs with back pain, and the symptoms are similar. Symptoms of neck pain may include spasm, stiffness, muscle discomfort, limitation of movement and headaches. Neck pain can occur suddenly (acute) or be constant (chronic); an acute injury can lead to chronic pain and loss of range of motion, if left untreated.

Massage is a non invasive alternative to prescription medication commonly used for treating neck pain. Massage is a manual therapy that uses hands-on manipulation of the muscles and other soft tissues to relieve muscle tension and reduce stress. Although massage affects the whole body, it is especially therapeutic for the musculoskeletal, circulatory, lymphatic and nervous systems.

A combination of techniques, performed by an experienced massage therapist, will provide pain relief and help your recovery. Several types of massage that have been shown to provide neck pain relief including Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Trigger Point Therapy, and Shiatsu.

Swedish massage is the term used to describe a variety of therapeutic massage techniques that help release tension with applied pressure to the surface muscles. This type of massage may be helpful in reducing emotional stress and tension that may add to your neck pain. It is also known as a full body massage.

Deep tissue massage may be performed with Swedish massage to release tension from the deeper muscles and connective tissues in the neck and upper back. With deep tissue massage, the applied pressure is harder, more intense, and focused on releasing adhesions ("knots") or scar tissue that may be causing your neck pain.

Trigger point therapy uses steady pressure to release neck muscle spasms and promote blood flow to the area to aid healing. Specific points or knots in muscles are located and released that often are the source of referred pain from the shoulder and back to your neck.

Shiatsu is a form of Japanese massage in which the practitioner uses his or her body weight to gradually press acupressure points. By palpating, or feeling, the network of vessels through which your energy flows (meridians), the Shiatsu practitioner will be able to feel and simultaneously adjust the flow of energy ("Ki") in your body.

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What if you could you could heal, improve, relieve, relax, even arouse just with the power of your hands? The beneficial effects of the various massage therapies available are too often ignored as a natural method of easing common ailments. It is not difficult to learn the basics of massage and the rewards are fantastic. Discover how you can harness the power of your hands and be able to massage with confidence at http://www.massagedvd.info