A Little Calmer Asks...Why do my shoulders always hurt?
Tight shoulders and neck tension are common, but how often do we stop to notice what might be causing them? A look at stress, modern life and the everyday habits that can leave us carrying tension without even realising it. Plus a little moment to pause, notice and release.
A LITTLE CALMER ASKS...
Claire Heuclin, A Little Calmer
9/17/20263 min read
Why do my shoulders always hurt?
Do you often find that it feels as if your shoulders are up around your ears and it doesn’t matter what you do, they simply won’t relax? If you regularly experience tight shoulders, neck tension or that familiar feeling that your shoulders are permanently sitting somewhere around your ears, you’re not alone. Even as a wellbeing practitioner I have this problem, I wake up most mornings with tight shoulders and a stiff neck and spend frequent periods throughout the day trying to stretch out those neck muscles and listening to the crack and creak of my neck as I try to improve the movement here. Many clients I treat, particularly for Indian Head Massage, are carrying a huge amount of tension in their shoulders. Metaphysically it might be said that this is due to ‘carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders’, which so many of us do.
So why do we hold so much tension and discomfort here and what can we do about it?
In today’s society we spend a lot of time with our bodies in positions that can leave our muscles working harder or holding tension for long periods; sitting at a desk typing away on our laptops, hunched over our phones or devices scrolling through the internet, driving our cars, carrying heavy bags of shopping or wearing a heavy backpack or bag for long periods, sitting in awkward position on sofas or beds to work or use devices, long journeys on public transport, housework, DIY…the list goes on and on! All of these examples involve us using our shoulders to carry a huge burden and, while it may not be one specific thing which creates this tension, if you read through that list and think, actually my day consists of doing many of those things in succession throughout the day, your poor shoulders don’t stand a chance.
And then there's stress.
When we're concentrating, rushing, worrying or simply trying to get through a busy day, we can unconsciously raise our shoulders, clench our jaw or hold tension through our neck without even realising we're doing it.
Often, the things we do to counteract the tension and pain, or simply our body's response to discomfort, can add to the problem as well. Perhaps we are struggling with mild back pain while driving so we sit up more rigidly and tense our shoulders. Perhaps we are feeling tense, so we tighten our jaw, which is interconnected with the muscles in our neck, shoulders and back. Therefore, by ‘gritting our teeth’, we are creating further tightening and tension in the muscles connected here. When we're uncomfortable or stressed, we can also find ourselves holding our breath or breathing more shallowly, which can make it harder for the body to relax.
There are very few people who can afford to have a wellbeing session every time they feel a bit tense, but there are a few things we can do for ourselves in between the sessions we can afford to give ourselves.
So what can we do ourselves in between?
My guide to self massage free download is helpful in providing some massage techniques to release pain and tension in the neck and shoulders and anything like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, yoga or Pilates, provided you keep to your limits and when learning use a qualified instructor, can be beneficial. The key message here is about noticing what you are doing and how your actions may be impacting on your shoulders to see if you can make small changes which relieve some of the pressure on this area of your body, alongside taking a small chunk of time in your day to allow your shoulders to fully relax.
Just for a moment I invite you to pause with me and try to focus on your shoulders.
Start by sitting in an upright position, with your feet flat on the floor.
Rest your hands by your sides or on your lap.
Take a deep breath in and focus on allowing your belly to gently expand, keeping your chest and upper body as still as possible.
Slowly release this breath through your mouth, with a sigh if this feels good to you.
Repeat this a few times.
Now gently raise your shoulders up to your ears as you breathe in.
Hold the breath and your shoulders up for a slow count of two.
As you breathe out allow your shoulders to drop slowly back down. Stay in control of this.
Repeat this a few times.
Now return to the breath without raising your shoulders, simply allow them to rest.
Become aware of your shoulders continuing to relax as you breath out.
Close your eyes if you feel comfortable and repeat this breathing pattern for a moment.
When you’re ready you can open your eyes,
Shake out your arms.
A little calmer is enough…
If this resonates with you, you may be interested in the rest of my series, A LIttle Calmer Asks...
Read my post 'A Little Calmer Asks...Why can't I swithch off?' here
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