From: sykopath@leland.Stanford.EDU (Mickey)
Subject: Re: HELP WANTED - Neck Trouble
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 23:18:09 GMT

In article <0S6-8T-@engin.umich.edu> you write:
>Greetings and salutations to the field experts of alt.backrubs!

And greetings to you, most noble student.

(damn but that sounds patronizing. and I ain't no expert. let's try that again)

Hey, dude, like...welcome!

(ouch.  I am *not* a hippie, hair and tie-dye to the contrary)

Greetings and salutations to thee, friend George.

(ahhhhh.  Much, much better.  Run with it.)

>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

(possibly) helpful suggestion on headaches in general.

I always used to (privately, so as not to be rude) scoff a little
at acupressure and "pressure points"...not seeing any reasonable
way that pressure on the soles of the feet could relieve discomfort
in the stomach, or whatever.

Then I tried a pressure point once.  It worked.

I thought, "coincidence".  So I tried it again, the next time the 
problem recurred.  

It worked.

The "problem" mentioned above was (probably stress-related) headaches,
starting from the neck and moving forward.

The pressure point was the fleshy web of skin between the thumb and the
first finger.  

Take your left hand, hold it out palm-down in front of you.  Take your
right hand, position it with the back facing towards you and up
towards your face, and the fingers pointing out to your left.  Move
the hands together such that the left thumb is pointing along the back
of the right thumb, the tip of the right first finger is touching the
center of the flesh between the left thumb and first finger (on the
outside, i.e. back, of the hand), and the right thumb is touching the
corresponding spot on the palm of the left hand.

Squeeze the right hand gently (I get best results when there is a tiny
bit of discomfort, but no pain, and definitely no strain in the right
hand) onto the left hand, so that the finger and thumb are applying
pressure to the center of the flesh between the left thumb and first
finger (NOTE: I get best results when my right thumb and finger are
more or less vertical to the plane of the flesh they are pinching, i.e.
applying pressure directly downward on it).

As always, your mileage may vary...
...so experiment with it, and see if you can make it work for you.

It works unbelievably well for me, and I hope it does at least
something for you...

(NOTE: if all you have between the pinching fingers is a piece of skin,
you're too near the edge of the fleshy part.  You should be holding
onto an appreciable chunk of muscle as well as skin...
...basically, move inward from the edge of the flesh until your fingers 
pass over the first lump of muscle, and settle into the depression
right behind it.  That's where you need to apply the pressure...
...and don't give up.  It takes a minute or two to have an effect)

>good.  As my headaches (and tension) seem to be rooted in my sleep,
>I have experimented with numerous types of pillows to little effect.

Try, just as a suggestion (if you haven't already), getting one of those
"travel pillows" which deliberately supports the neck more than the head,
or a therapeutic pillow designed to support the head in more or less
one position...
...or, try experimenting with different sleeping surfaces (i.e. waterbeds,
very firm beds, very soft beds, etc...), and even possibly
with sleeping without a pillow at all.

You'll probably have a few really hellish mornings, when something
just *doesn't work*, but you might find a partial (or even complete)
solution this way...

>[partially effective neck relaxation massage described]

Sorry it doesn't work better for you.
Suggestion: try also putting the tips of your fingers on the skull
at or right below where the muscles attach, and pressing quite hard,
and making small circles with your fingertips (not sliding them over
the skin, just circling them in place within the limits of what the
skin will allow...)
Do this with your head *well* supported, so that the muscles aren't
trying to hold it up, and can relax...

>Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Hope it helps...

...oh, one other thing...have you experimented with gentle heat
before/during/after massage, before/during/after sleep?

Try, for example, a warm, moist towel across the neck first thing
in the morning...it might help...

Also, you might want to think about seeing a sleep therapist, if this
is happening as a result of sleep...
...you might have some sleep pathology that is causing unnecessary neck
tension.

Just some suggestions...

Best of luck in finding a cure.

*hugs*,

Mickey "so dawn goes down to day; nothing gold can stay" Phoenix.