I often hear you say " I have a cervical that drives me crazy" or similar phrases that always make me comment " Luckily you have a cervical, otherwise your head would fall to the floor! ".
By now this part of the spine is mentioned to indicate the disorder of cervicalgia and everyone knows the symptoms, reflecting the fact that a large part of the population is afflicted by it.
The causes of neck pain
However, the causes that trigger this sort of syndrome are many and often distant in origin and nature:
> psychosomatic cervical pains: there are people who are particularly "responsible", I would dare to say too "responsible", who carry the weight of everything and everyone on their shoulders. Atlas carried the weight of the world on him and it is no coincidence that the first cervical vertebra directly connected to the skull is called the atlas. Muscular tensions caused by emotional states altered by anxieties and worries reverberate in the cervical area and can cause muscle pain in the neck and head.
> Pain in the cervical area of a meteoropathic nature : there are individuals that are sensitive to wind and humidity. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine the Porta del Vento is located at the base of the cervical area, to be precise, it is point V12 (bladder meridian), and for those who are sensitive to pathogens such as wind, humidity and cold, this stretch is affected painfully of these so-called perverse energies, which then migrate to other body areas.
> Postural pain in the neck : those who sit in front of a computer for hours, or have to drive for many kilometers every day, often assume incorrect head positions ... and the head weighs ! Our head can weigh between 4 and 6 kg and if the center of gravity loses its alignment with the cervical vertebrae the weight is no longer distributed in a balanced manner. In this way the muscles of the upper and middle trapezius, the neck flexors and the sternocleidomastoid suffer improper tensions that sometimes can degenerate also on other neighboring muscular bands.
There are other causes besides the aforementioned but they are of a pathological nature and before "putting hands on" it is good to have recourse to a specialist who assesses its extent and care. In the face of discal protrusions and overt hernias it is good to work with orthopedic doctors, physiatrists and physiotherapists
Cervical, taking care of it with ayurveda
Shiatsu for cervicalgia
Once the cause of the neck pain is established, it is possible to establish an intervention procedure through shiatsu. Shiatsu is practiced on the floor on a tatami, but for problems of this kind I personally prefer the bed with the hole for the face, in order to keep the column aligned, without lateral bending of the neck that would be painful in these cases. You can then proceed:
- with observing the prone posture, if the lordotic and kyphotic curves are respected;
- with observing breathing, if it is fluid and reaches the lumbar area or if it is blocked mid-dorsal: breathing reveals where there are blocks, tensions, closures.
- With the back of your hands, you can test the body temperature in the different sections, there will be colder areas, where there is blockage and warmer areas where there is free circulation of energy.
- Start testing the paravertebral muscles with light pressure, covering the entire spine from top to bottom to highlight the points of tension, full and empty.
- Test the points under the scapulars following the entire scapular edge from top to bottom to identify the blocked ones.
Once this phase of medical history is over, prepare the musculature to accept acupressure, with stretching and stretching of the muscle bands.
Work the bladder meridian and dwell more on the vacuum points to rebalance them with the hypertonic ones, work the subscapular points with a pressure that is well tolerated by the recipient.
Once the middle trapezius and lumbar and sacral muscles have been released and released, one can approach that of the upper trapezius, of the neck to be clear, which in the meantime will have undergone a small change thanks to the acupressure of the underlying portion.
The neck must be treated very carefully ; also in this area it is good to exert a slight traction, and release the tension from top to bottom. It is always very pleasant and a great relief to give movement to the muscles of the neck with light pressures that loosen the blocks.
It is then possible to work on the occipital border from the central foramen and then progressively move up to the jugular apophyses. There will be very painful points, to be treated with delicate pressures: a slight stress is enough to make the change.
Depending on the size of the neck and if the pain reverberates also to the head with forms of muscle-tensive headaches, it is advisable to work also on the frontal part of the head continuing to follow the bladder meridian up to the source point, then making the recipient turn in a supine position.
In this position, loosen the muscles of the upper trapezius and the flexors with a spoon-shaped grip, which wraps around the neck and allows a delicate but effective traction. Finally, shiatsuka will verify the work done by re-testing all the areas examined initially, to understand the extent of the change.
It is difficult to resolve cervicalgia in just one session, but with a cycle of treatments, a postural and respiratory education and some simple exercises to practice at home, Shiatsu is an effective alternative to NSAIDs.
