CASE STUDY 1 - STIFF NECK AND SHOULDERS - INSOMNIA - STRESS RELIEF

42 year old male, account manager, desk based, stiff/painful neck/shoulders, insomnia, headaches, irritable.

Client attended for stress relief as he was having difficulty sleeping because of neck/shoulder tension and was always tired and irritable. Was also now getting headaches.

He works in a high pressure job and felt that the pressure he was under caused his neck/shoulder pain. The restriction of movement in his neck and shoulders prevented him playing cricket, which had been his main form of relaxation. He works 8-10 hour days with few or no breaks, plus working on his laptop at home in the evenings.

It was obvious as soon as he lay on the table that his shoulders were rounded forward by tight pectoral muscles, his head was being pulled back by tight levator scapula muscles and his shoulders were being pulled up towards his ears by tight trapezius muscles. With all this going on it wasn't any wonder that he was in so much discomfort.

In this case it didn't really matter if the stress was causing the muscular problems or vice versa, both needed to be addressed to get a satisfactory result.

There followed an intensive six week treatment program focusing on those tight muscle groups, but balanced with more relaxing Indian head Massage, with extra face/jaw work for relaxation. I also advised a series of stretches to compliment the treatments.

After this initial six weeks the shoulders/neck were much more relaxed and less painful. He was sleeping well, was less irritable, and had started training for the forthcoming cricket season.

We now do a regular treatment every two months to maintain this improvement.