From: richard@octel.com (Richard Karasik)
Subject: Re: HELP WANTED - Neck Trouble
Organization: Octel Communications Inc., Milpitas Ca.
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 22:51:15 GMT

In article <0S6-8T-@engin.umich.edu> biscuit@engin.umich.edu (George F DeLaMater) writes:
>Greetings and salutations to the field experts of alt.backrubs!
>
>I come to you with a bit of a problem.  I suffer from headaches
>every day, and have endured this problem for years.  Most of my
>headaches stem from extreme neck tension when I wake up.  Thus far,
>nothing has helped me much - I occasionally see a chiropracter when
>my neck is obviously out of whack, and get a good bit of relief then,
>but he cannot help me with my "everyday" pain, and as such I must take
>30-50 Excedrin per week to ease my headaches, which is obviously not
>good.  As my headaches (and tension) seem to be rooted in my sleep,
>I have experimented with numerous types of pillows to little effect.
>
     First and foremost -have you had this medically checked out
	 to ensure you have a muscle issue? IF you are sure it's muscle,
	 then proceed.

	 Do you do a specific form of exercise that works the neck. IE weight
	 training for strength rather tha weight training for "limberness"?

	 Does your neck bug you other than when waking up -ie positions hunched
	 over a terminal .... etc

>Last year, I was able (for a short time) to see a physical therapist
>who was able to loosen my neck up a bit after a month or so (she
>initially described my neck as being like a tree trunk, because she
>could not move a single bone in my neck for a week) - eventually, she
>got two of the lower ones to move for her, but then my financial
    I dont think the point is to move them but to allow your neck the freedom
	to move .. Its not clear whetehr movement in this case is better or not ..

>situation took a downturn, and I could no longer afford treatment.
>She did show me one thing I could do to help myself: lying down with
>my head supported, I can hook the fingers of both hands and reach back
>to the spot at the base of my skull where the corded muscles (don't
>know what they're called) attach.  Placing my fingers between these
>bands of muscle, I can press quite hard and exert a medium degree of
     There is a notch at the base of the skull where the spine
	 links up. On either side of the notch are muscle groups. a thumb
	 in there for 30 to 40 seconds at a time is helpful.

	 Are you a tooth grinder -if so the masseter will be very tender
	 (chewing muscles) A thumb in the cheek where you feel the hinge of the jaw
	 will help that to relax -gradually increasing pressure untill too much
	 then back off to tolerable and hold for 40 seconds or so. then small
	 circular massage in the area that you had your thumb in and back off
	 completely. Repeat -a form of Jin Shin mashed up with accupressure mashed
	 up with Bonny Pruden mashed up with Shiatsu.!!

	 If the masseter is over developed from grinding it will pull other things
	 off.
	 Are you prognathious ie jaw jutting or a double reed player 
	 etcetc
	 Tell us more about what you do, etc so we can have a chance at suggesting.
	 THe simple thumb techniques above will work in anyu muscle group but 
	 the trick is to prevent the torture in the first place ..

	 I hope this helps somehwat ..

	 Also direction on the back of the neck is not in but in and up like toward
	 the eyebrows.
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