Effectively treat neck and shoulder pain by impacting the spine

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was expertly consulted by Herbalist Nguyen Khac Dat - Head of Clinic - Head of Spine Impact Department, Traditional Medicine Unit, Vinmec Times City International Hospital.
Shoulder and neck pain is a very uncomfortable and often persistent syndrome that adversely affects the health, sleep and psychology of the patient. The method of affecting the spine by massage and acupressure is getting more attention because it not only helps reduce pain but also brings a feeling of relaxation and comfort.

1. What is Shoulder and Neck Syndrome?

Shoulder-neck syndrome is a group of clinical symptoms related to cervical spine diseases with dysfunction of nerve roots, local nerves and not related to inflammatory pathology.
Common clinical manifestations are pain or soreness, sluggishness, weakness in the nape, neck, shoulder and arm on one side. In addition, the patient may have some sensory or motor disturbances associated with the distribution of the affected cervical spinal nerve roots.
As a result, the patient always has persistent dull pain despite inactivity; During activity, pain sensation increases, reducing the ability to exertion, carrying heavy objects or even being unable to lie on the injured side, thereby reducing the quality of life.

2. What causes neck pain?

In the group of musculoskeletal diseases, shoulder and neck syndrome is quite common. This disease is common in young office workers, long-distance drivers, people carrying heavy objects in the wrong position to the elderly when the weather changes.
In most cases, mechanical causes are predominant. That is when the patient has a habit of resting his head too high when sleeping, carrying furniture on one shoulder, sitting and working with an inappropriate size of table and chair and vision... This causes the oxygen supply to the organs. Muscle cells are reduced, causing anemia leading to pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and neck and difficulty moving. This expression will become more severe with increasing age.
The degeneration and atherosclerosis of blood vessels aggravate the lack of blood supply, reducing the flexibility and endurance of bones, joints and muscles. Similarly, when the weather changes, especially when it turns cold, the body becomes suddenly cold, leading to stagnation of blood qi and a decrease in the amount of oxygen supplied to the blood, also causing ischemia in the muscles. leading to neck pain.
In addition, the degeneration over time of the cervical vertebrae, intervertebral and lateral interphalangeal joints, narrowing the synaptic foramen or disc herniation will cause compression of the roots and nerves of the cervical spine, causing neck pain and from there to the shoulder or hand. Other less common causes include trauma, tumor, infection, osteoporosis, spondylitis, paraspinal soft tissue disease...

3. How to treat neck and shoulder pain

The condition of neck and shoulder pain is very effective with drugs such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, nerve pain relievers... However, these drugs need to be used strictly according to the doctor's instructions. doctor and must not be abused. Because when stopping the drug, the pain will return if the habits of movement and posture are not corrected.
Accordingly, the patient should be instructed to have an upright working posture, suitable size of tables and chairs, not to bend the neck for too long, every 30 minutes should stop and stand up to perform movement movements. cervical spine, shoulder and hand. Do not lie on a high pillow to easily make the wrong posture of the cervical spine, should only pillow about 10 cm high. When carrying and carrying heavy objects, it should be balanced with the center of gravity, not deviating to one side for a long time. At the same time, patients also regularly perform appropriate cervical spine mobility exercises to strengthen the muscles of the chest and shoulders, as well as to avoid fatigue or tightness in the neck muscles.
If the above measures do not improve, local analgesic interventions such as epidural or posterior interphalangeal corticosteroid injections, selective nerve root blockade, and parasympathetic nerve ablation may be considered. neck by radiofrequency or surgical decompression.
However, the current treatment trend is towards drug-free and minimally invasive. In which, physical therapy, rehabilitation and pain relief measures with heat therapy, acupressure massage, acupuncture, vertebrae stretching... or spinal manipulation measures in general have been recorded. effective and very popular.

4. Efficacy of spinal manipulation in treating neck and shoulder pain

From the perspective of traditional medicine, each organ in the body is governed and controlled by a certain acupuncture point. Therefore, the effects on acupoints can correct organ disorders. This is the foundation of measures to use force to affect the spine through acupressure to treat shoulder and neck pain and is gradually being proven to be a safe, benign and completely free treatment method with no side effects. any.
Method of spinal manipulation does not use acupuncture, traditional medicine or any pain reliever, muscle relaxant. The principle of treatment from Spinal Impact is: When the vertebrae are convex, deviated, concave, the muscle layer contracts, the nerve atrophy is pinched, leading to swelling, heat, red pain in the body. According to modern anatomy, each vertebra in the spinal system has a separate pathological control function. Therefore, in order to completely treat the related diseases, we must correct the root of the disease, which is the spine.
After properly examining and diagnosing the disease, if pain relievers and muscle relaxants are not completely effective, local mechanical effects on the skin will make the patient less painful. The technician will practice passive movement of the muscles and joints, soothe the nerves in the shoulder and neck area, thereby helping to relax the muscles, increase circulation to the shoulder and neck, contributing to reducing pain and swelling. In addition, the shoulder and neck area contains many large nerves, so when massaged here, it helps patients feel relaxed and relieve stress. At the same time, this method also affects directly the acupuncture points, indirectly affects the governing organs of the musculoskeletal system, thereby enhancing the production of substances that resist pain.
First, the patient should lie on a thin padded bed, relax and relax the entire shoulder, neck and back area. The technician should stand above the patient's head for the most convenient and accurate manipulation. Begin by gently massaging the patient's shoulder blades and nape. Pay attention when massaging should use moderate force to avoid injuring the underlying muscle tissue. Should rub, rub, and pull the meat up a bit for better effect. If the patient wants a deeper impact, the technician can use the middle of the wrist and hand to rub the areas that feel the most pain, hold for about 20 seconds. At the end of the pressing part, the technician uses the palm of his hand to warm the shoulder and neck of the patient, helping to increase blood circulation, definitively solving muscle tension, pain of joints, giving the body a feeling of ease. bear, mentally excited.
To do so, patients should go to reputable centers, where there are well-trained and experienced technicians to perform these therapies, avoiding out-of-control injuries. In addition, the treatment cannot be applied to patients who have broken bones, broken muscles, are suffering from severe heart and lung disease. In addition, if the patient has a skin lesion in the part that needs acupressure massage, this method should not be used to avoid infection.
At the Spine Impact Clinic - Traditional Medicine Unit of Vinmec Times City International Hospital, spinal manipulation therapies in treating neck and shoulder pain in particular or physical therapy methods in general always receive the attention of patients with chronic pain. With many years of experience, musculoskeletal diseases are no longer a concern, hindering patients' daily activities.
Visited by:
Herbalist Nguyen Khac Dat: has more than 30 years of experience in the medical industry, specializing in medical examination and treatment by non-drug methods. Trained in the non-drug method of spinal manipulation by the late Senior Healer Nguyen Tham Tan - The person recognized by the State and awarded a medal for the cause of Medicine.
He is a founding member of the Center for Research and Development of Spinal Impact Methods according to Decision No. 449/QD-LHHVN dated July 24, 2012 by Professor Dang Vu Minh, Chairman of the Union of Science and Technology. signed by the Scientific and Technical Association. Inherited the Center for Spine Impact by the late physician Nguyen Tham Tan as Director.
Even diseases in other organs such as headache, migraine, cerebral circulatory insufficiency, vestibular syndrome, gastro-reflux syndrome, bronchial asthma, constipation,... are all common. relieved by acupressure massage.