Today I am going to tell you a little story that happened this morning and made me create this article. My neighbor writes me at 7 in the morning to ask if he could help him, he woke up stiff and with a lot of pain in his neck. So I told him to come over and after a quick examination it was easy to see that his Levator Scapulae was injured.
The Levator Sapulae is a muscle that primarily elevates the scapula (shoulder blade). Its attachments are the transverse processes of C1 to C4 (1st cervical to 4th cervical vertebra) to the medial border of the scapula, from the superior angle to the root of the scapular spine.
As I mentioned earlier, it elevates the scapula but also extends the neck (at the spinal joints) and laterally flexes the neck (at the spinal joints). This muscle lies below the trapezius muscle in its lower portion and is deep to some muscles of the neck in its upper portion, the splenius capitis and the sternocleidomastoid.
Going back to my miserable neighbor and his neck pain, I asked him what happened and he said “oh I think it’s my pillow”. I know he does a lot of desk work, so his neck is very tight, and perhaps a pillow that is too high could make the situation worse. Pain shot from the top of her neck to his shoulder.
He couldn’t turn his head to the side and it was hard to look up and down. No wonder why, those are all the actions that the levator scapulae does. But why does it happen?
Computer work is usually the reason. Sitting at a desk all day we get tired and after repeating the same thing over and over again, day after day, week after week, your muscles will eventually get used to that posture and you will start to lose mechanical functionality. The muscles of the front of the neck (scalenes) and of the upper part of the neck (suboccipital) shorten, the pectoralis (chest), biceps, deltoids (shoulder), subscapularis, and serratus anterior (under the arm and around the ribs) muscles ) all tense up.
You probably get dehydrated at the office and that only makes the situation worse. So no stretching, bad technique when exercising, unstable shoulders, etc, etc, etc… In the end the body gives up, a muscle fails, the rest of the muscles in that area will have to compensate. If the levator scapulae takes a severe pull, the compensatory muscles try to protect it and go into severe spasm, then there you have it, injury, pain, stiffness, frustration, painkillers, etc.
Some of the things you need to know when it happens.
1st: If it hurts when you cough or sneeze, it is possible that you have misplaced a rib or a vertebra. You have to see an osteopath.
2nd: If there is only restricted range of motion and a lot of pain, it will take a long time to heal and you should avoid heavy exercises.
3rd: GO GET A MASSAGE!
Fourth: Follow up with stretches: This one is very good: sitting in a chair, the hand on the injured side goes behind the back, with the shoulder down, and the head should go towards the opposite shoulder.
5th: if there is stiffness in the morning, there may be a little inflammation in the joint, ice for 20 min, 5 min on, 5 min off. At night you can use some heat to relax the muscles and bring blood to the area to heal the tissues.
6th: If your pillow is too high, try to get one that is low, like the ones that are unreliable for children. You can also try sleeping without a pillow for a couple of nights.
Seventh: Meditation can also be good for people who cannot relax when they lie down. Meditating when you go to bed and when you wake up can help you let go of the emotions that keep your body tense.