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Tight Fascia and Neck Pain
Tight fascia and neck pain can become a stubborn, painful condition. In this blog, we will specifically discuss tight fascia of the pectoral (chest area). There are many reasons for chronic neck pain and tightness. Here is one that needs to be addressed. Watch and learn from this video now.
What is Fascia?
Fascia is the connective tissue that lies underneath the skin. It connects everything together. It wraps around muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves and organs. It runs deep and it runs wide and lengthwise.
The fascia is highly adaptable. It is highly adaptable to the postures we utilize. Sometimes, when a posture is prolonged, the fascia adapts to that position. It becomes tight and immobile (stuck).
An example of how fascia can become tight is when we sit for prolonged periods. The muscles of the hip, back and thigh shorten in that seated position, potentially causing hip and lower back pain.
How does tight pectoral fascia cause neck pain?
Tight pectoral fascia and neck pain. How does this happen? Going back to the example of sitting. If you are seated and working on your computer at the office, the muscles and fascia can become short. They can also become tight.
The person with rounded shoulders usually has tight pectoral fascia and muscles. They attempt to stretch the pectorals. Unfortunately, they seem to get minimal results. This is in regards to correcting the roundedness of their shoulders.
The fascia of the chest often becomes very tight. This tightness can “pull” the head and neck forward. In this position the neck muscles can become short and tight causing neck pain and tightness.
It is one thing to correct muscles that are shortened and tight. It is another when the pectoral fascia becomes tight and stuck also. If the fascia is the primary exacerbator it has a powerful impact on treatment planning. It becomes the prime target.
What can a treatment look like?
For pectoral fascia and neck pain, the goal is to mobilize the fascia. The idea is if the fascia loosens, it can be a lot easier to relax the neck muscles. Typically, I will focus on treating the pectoral fascia primarily and then treat the neck muscles after it relaxes.
Depending on how tight the fascia is, it can take between 15 minutes to 45 minutes to release it. Often, I will also treat the pectoral muscles. I also address any muscle that can contribute to the patient’s condition. This includes the Biceps and Scalenes muscles of the neck. At times I can also work into the muscles of the arm pit. Specifically a Rotator Cuff muscle, Subscapularis. This is to help correct the posture.
The treatment just like most treatments requiring aggressive massage techniques can be very uncomfortable. Fascia and neck pain treatments requires focused techniques that require time. This can be very painful especially if the patient has had the condition for a long time.
After treatment, I will teach exercises to assist in helping the patient’s posture.
Do you have a story about tight fascia? Please share it.
Do you have tight fascia and neck pain? Contact us so we can discuss your treatment.
More resources:
Tight fascia can also cause headaches watch our video and read our blog now! The dip exercise can cause neck pain, learn about it here.
