02/23/2026
Today a client walked in and could barely move her neck.
She couldn’t bring her chin to her chest — there was about a fist’s distance between them. Turning her head to the side was extremely limited. Lying on her back hurt too much between her shoulder blades. She described it as a “hot white line” of pain through her neck and spine.
The hard part? Her job requires her to look down all day. She doesn’t have the luxury of “just resting it.”
This is exactly why I love the work I do.
We started face down because she physically couldn’t tolerate being on her back. I released the rotator cuffs, worked through the spinal erectors, and found significant tension at the lat attachment along the lumbar spine.
For those of you who aren’t anatomy nerds — your lats (latissimus dorsi) are the big, powerful muscles that run from your low and mid back, across your ribs, and up into your upper arm. They attach along the lower spine, sacrum, and even into the fascia of the low back. When they get tight, they can pull on the spine and shoulders and absolutely contribute to neck restriction.
Once that tension was reduced, I moved into focused myofascial work through the upper back.
About 50 minutes in, she was able to roll onto her back — pain free.
From there, I meticulously worked through each cervical vertebra and addressed the suboccipital muscles (those tiny but powerful muscles at the base of your skull that can completely restrict neck motion when they’re angry).
By the end of the session?
She could bring her chin to her chest.
Full movement.
Relief.
And she felt amazing.
This is what therapeutic massage looks like. It’s not about spa vibes — this is about healing. It’s about assessment, strategy, understanding anatomy, and solving the root of the problem.
We’ve scheduled a follow-up in two weeks to continue stabilizing the progress.
If your neck feels stuck…
If your pain is starting to travel into your shoulders, ribs, hips, or leg…
If your job depends on your body functioning properly…
Don’t wait until it gets worse.
Book a Customized Therapeutic Massage and let’s figure out what your body is trying to tell us.
Book with us at www.thenewnarrativemassage.com or call at 812-324-5151
