Neck & Shoulder Knots
Hey there! I’m Dr. David, Physical Therapist from El Paso Manual Physical Therapy.
I’m Dr. David, Physical Therapist from El Paso Manual Physical Therapy.
I was just doing some paperwork on the computer right now & answering some emails from some current patients of mine.
I was getting a little knot developing right here in my neck and shoulder area.
This is the space between my shoulder and my neck.
I exercise and I do some things to make sure I take care of it, but here’s one of the tricks that I use because I have to work at the desk quite a bit, and I know many of you out there probably have desk jobs where you’re working at the computer or maybe doing like paperwork at a desk.
Here’s a tip that you can use to help prevent those knots from getting worse.
You’ll even help prevent the knots to begin with, and be able to get through the end of the day so that you’re not just flared up by the end of the day.
Those knots might just be killing you, and you just want to go take some pain medication or get a massage or something, so you can get to the end of the day and feel pretty good.
First, make sure that your computer and your desk is set up so that you can put your arms on the desk like this and actually shove your shoulders up just a little bit. And it’s okay to slouch from time to time so that you can move your shoulders up. You see how when I lean forward a little bit, it raises my shoulder?
And it’s okay to slouch from time to time so that you can move your shoulders up. You see how when I lean forward a little bit, it raises my shoulder?
You see how when I lean forward a little bit, it raises my shoulder? Well that takes some tension off this area.
Part of the problem in getting these knots is that if I’m not supported from here pushing my arms up, the weight of my arm pulls down on these muscles right here, and it starts to stretch them out over time.
Now, it’s no big deal for a little while, 15, 20 minutes, especially if you don’t have a problem going on. But let the hours pass by. Say an hour or two, three, four hours, eight hours passes by, and this is hanging down, this is going to start to get really, really tight, and you can start to develop some spots in the muscle where it bulges up, and you create a knot.
Say an hour or two, three, four hours…. eight hours pass by, and this is hanging down, this is going to start to get really, really tight, and you can start to develop some spots in the muscle where it bulges up, and you create a knot.
Another thing that can be setting up a knot … Well, let me back up a little bit.
Have you ever had that type of knot that is hard?
You dig in here, and it just feels like rock solid, like it might even be a bone. Well, sometimes it is a bone. Let me show you what I mean on my skeleton here. So this is the shoulder right here, collarbone.
Well, sometimes it is a bone!
Let me show you what I mean on my skeleton. So this is the shoulder right here, collarbone.
So this is the shoulder right here, collarbone.
The first rib is right here, and your second rib is right here. Those ribs can actually pop up and contribute to that knot.
You might actually have a bone from one of these ribs sticking out.
They’re about right here, and they can pop up a little bit, and they can be really painful.
It can be really tender. It can feel really hard as well.
And that’s something that you’re not going to massage out. It’s a shifted bone up in the neck and shoulder area, and just rubbing it might make it feel better temporarily, but what needs to happen is we need to find a solution to get that rib to sink back down.
It’s a shifted bone up in the neck and shoulder area, and just rubbing it might make it feel better temporarily, but what needs to happen is we need to find a solution to get that rib to sink back down.
There’s a ton of reasons why those ribs can pop up. That’s something that we look at here, we talk to clients about all the time. And we can get them to come back down and settle down so that they’re not a recurring problem.
That’s something that we look at here, we talk to clients about all the time. And we can get them to come back down and settle down so that they’re not a recurring problem.
And we can get them to come back down and settle down so that they’re not a recurring problem.
But it’s just something I wanted to tell you about today. Now, if you work at a desk, make sure, just to review, your arms are supported like this, or if you have a chair that has some armrests, especially if they’re adjustable, make sure those armrests push your shoulders up a little bit from your elbow down here.
Now, if you work at a desk, make sure, just to review, your arms are supported like this, or if you have a chair that has some armrests, especially if they’re adjustable, make sure those armrests push your shoulders up a little bit from your elbow down here.
I hope this helps you out.
I hope that if you have a desk job, you’re not running into those shoulder knots.
If you do have knots in your neck and shoulders, try these things.
And if you’re still getting problems, you might have a shifted rib, or there could be some other problem.
There’s nerve problems that happen up there too.
Sometimes there are muscular problems that need a specialist’s help as well.
Give us a call. Reach out to us. Contact us on Facebook.
Contact us online, and we’d love to help you out and talk to you more about it.
Thanks so much. Have a wonderful day.
