Comments on: Stretch Away Neck Pain

By: Rick Olderman

Rick Olderman — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:21:34 +0000

In my experience as a physical therapist, most headaches and neck pain are due to the shoulder blades sitting too low on the trunk. I know this may sound odd but, to put it simply, there are muscles attaching from the shoulder blade directly to the first four neck vertebrae and skull. When the shoulders sit too low, these muscles then pull on the neck bones and skull causing neck pain and headaches.
Here’s a quick, simple test to see if this is a contributing cause of your headaches. If you’re having right-sided neck pain or headaches, raise your right hand and place it flat on top of your head for 20 seconds. Make sure your head doesn’t side-bend or rotate to achieve this. If your pain diminished after this test, then your scapula may be sitting too low causing your discomfort. This is easily correctable. This is also the culprit in diagnoses such as thoracic outlet syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome. I’ve just written a book about fixing neck pain and headaches using an approach based on this mechanical connection to the shoulder and neck. It has been very effective over the last few years and I think is worth a try if you haven’t found the answers you are seeking.
I’ve also posted this and another test on YouTube, if you’re interested.

By: Paula Rohr

Paula Rohr — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:41:10 +0000

I have a lot of damage to my spine in my neck from years of tight muscles and poor posture. Even though I can’t change the damage, this DVD helped me understand how to improve my posture when sitting, or while I am going through my day activities. It has helped reduce the stresses in my neck and has helped my mobility. I have more range of motion when trying to turn my neck. The stretches give me such relief from neck pain and the stiffness in my neck has decreased. I was afraid that I would live the rest of my life with this neck pain and stiffness I see now that I can reverse some of the damage I have done. Paula Rohr
Rating: 5 / 5

By: LILI

LILI — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:43:26 +0000

I have used this DVD for about 3 months ( I have chronic pain) and not only has it relieved my neck pain but my tinnitus has resolved as well. The best part is that the menu lets me skip right to the issue I am dealing with. In the morning I watch it and imitate the stretches I need. With other DVD’s I had to watch the whole program in order to get to the parts I needed and I found it hard to see exactly what the trainer was doing because the angle the person was shot from was distorted. The animations on this DVD make it crystal clear what to stretch and how to stretch it. Another thing I liked is the educational part of the video. When I began stretching my neck I had no idea where the pain was coming from. The DVD showed me which muscles were involved and now I have a better understanding of how those muscles create pain in other areas. If I feel a pain in my neck I get out the hot water pad and put it on the correct muscle. Then I stretch again. (In my case it was my upper back) I also got a second one for my son who sits at the computer all day. I have never written a review about a DVD before but I had to comment on the benefits I received from this. If you are in pain like I am buy this DVD and find some relief!

L. Williams, Amazon aficionado

Rating: 5 / 5

By: KELLY MCDONALD

KELLY MCDONALD — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:55:10 +0000

I bought this video after not having time to make it to physical therapy a few times a week. I was biking when I got hit by a car, and suffered a broken neck. It healed on it’s own (didn’t need surgery), but I needed relief from the pain that didn’t go away after a few months. I knew that my neck pain wasn’t helped by my poor posture. This DVD helped from the first minute I started using it. There is a lot of useful information on this DVD. It included a mobility test, how to identify where the pain comes from, what muscles are related, etc. And then there is a section that you can go to quickly that is just sets of stretches. I like that the stretches were not just the stretches you use on a high school sports team, they were very particular and helped me find the stretches that have helped ease the pain. I have only done this for a few days, but am surprised at the amount of relief I have found. I think if you stick to the exercises and do them every day, you will find relief in a few weeks.
Rating: 5 / 5