Bernie's Reflexology

04/05/2023

28/04/2023

Any physical problem we have that has been around for more than a few weeks will have an emotional component to it. It's just how we're wired. ALL emotional dysfunctions we have will show associated physical consequences. This has nothing to do with "imagining" our pain. This is just one of many compensation strategies our bodies undertake daily. More often than not, it is the case that the emotional must be addressed for resolution of the physical to be permanent.

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28/04/2023

From the Clinic: Breathe away your neck pain

You can easily test if your client’s neck pain is caused mainly by a raised fight and flight response:
Suggest them to lay flat on their back for 10 minutes with bend knees, while breathing gently through the nose and making expiration longer than inspiration.
If this changes the tension or pain in the neck, then you know which track to follow in your further treatment.

Explain to your client in this simple way why their breathing affects their neck
The scalene muscles may be tight because they are helping respiration when the fight and flight response is activated. In these cases breathing becomes more shallow and faster and involves the scalenes. They have another important job of supporting the heavy head and bending it from side to side. If the extra job as helper for respiration lasts over a long time, they may get overloaded and develop an inflammatory process and pain at the attachments to the cervical spine.

The diaphragm is not just an element but a body structure *)
The scalene muscles are fascially connected to the respiratory diaphragm. In fact, the diaphragm is related to and has an influence on everything from the floor of the mouth to the pelvic floor!
Stress and/or respiratory issues causes tension in the diaphragm and this continuous pull extends along the fascia all the way up to the neck.

What you can do to change chronic neck pain
With this type of chronic neck pain we recommend breathing exercises/advice combined with reflexology for the diaphragm and phrenic nerve plus a lot of focus on balancing the fight and flight response.
As homework we suggest the same exercise as mentioned in the beginning of this article. A few exercises for the neck - and abdominal muscles are also a good idea.

*) Overview article of the many connections of the diaphragm: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731110/

More about the neck on the upcoming live webinar "Round about: The Neck"
April 24-26 more info here: https://int.touchpoint.dk/kursusuk.asp?ID=20361&showK=11227&showDescr=59962&x=y&