Office workers must know how to relieve shoulder and neck pain and say goodbye to stiffness

Smart life makes many people more and more lazy. When facing mobile phones, tablets, and computers, the zombie tribe maintains the same posture for a long time, which will cause great harm to the shoulders and cause shoulder and neck pain! Massage is difficult to relieve, so how to relieve shoulder and neck pain?

Compared with many acute aches and pains, the pain of stiff shoulder muscles may be insignificant, but the annoying thing about it is that it shows up regularly, never slacking off or missing a beat. Even if we spend a lot of money to buy expensive bedding, and have a good night's sleep and wake up relaxed the next day, as soon as we enter work mode and start to work at our desk for a long time, or repeat fixed movements and maintain the same posture, pain will definitely come to you, completely stiffening your shoulder muscles and making you feel as if you are carrying a heavy suit of armor, which is very uncomfortable.

Muscle burden relaxes like a rubber band

To put it bluntly, shoulder muscle stiffness is shoulder muscle fatigue. Our body can move freely and perform complex and precise movements thanks to muscles. There is no doubt that shoulder muscle stiffness can definitely be ranked in the top three of the pain list, and it can also be said to be one of the most common pain problems among modern people.

Maintaining the same posture for a long time and keeping the muscles in a continuously contracted state is the main cause of shoulder muscle stiffness. Most people are usually aware that over-stretching muscles can easily cause muscle burden, just like a rubber band that is stretched continuously will become loose and lose its elasticity over time. But few people realize that if muscles are always in a contracted state, they will become overly tense, just like a rubber band that has not been used for a long time and its elasticity will also decrease. Whether it is excessive pulling or continuous squeezing, the muscles will fatigue and will cry out in pain.

So how do you tell the difference between overwork and fatigue?

Experts give an example, an average person usually works five days, and when the workload occasionally increases beyond six days, they can immediately recover physically and mentally with adequate rest; however, if you still feel severely tired after resting, you must be alert, as this means that you may have kidney disease, liver disease, special infections, or even tumors, which cannot be completely explained by overwork.

Therefore, overwork actually has several major potential problems: accumulation of risk factors for sudden death (high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids), neglect of one's own major illnesses (without health checks and early disease warnings), and excessive fatigue resulting in a lack of attention and physical strength leading to accidents.

Experts urge everyone to seek medical advice as soon as possible if they notice that their physical fatigue continues to not improve. Otherwise, they may neglect their physical health due to busyness, causing long-term potential major problems to suddenly erupt in one day, which may lead to regrettable things such as physical disability or sudden death.

Shoulder muscle stiffness causes:

1. Maintain the same posture frequently.

2. It is common to lean the head and chin forward and hunch the shoulders.

3. Due to tension, busyness, pressure, etc., you can't help but hunch your shoulders.

When we involuntarily arch our shoulders due to tension, busyness, stress, etc., the muscles around our shoulders become tense, which causes local lactic acid accumulation and produces a feeling of soreness. Then, the feeling of pain will make the muscles tighter and tighter, and the muscles will become more and more tired, falling into a vicious cycle.

Office workers who use computers for long periods of time, workers who often maintain the same posture, and students are the victims of stiff shoulder muscles. Perhaps you think that shoulder pain is common, but long-term lack of muscle stretching may cause muscle fibrosis. When the muscles lose their elasticity, their movements become sluggish. This will still lead to a decline in the quality of life.

Muscles lose elasticity and become less active

In the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder muscle stiffness, Chinese medicine bases the judgment on the patient's subjective feelings and palpation. By pressing, you can see the softness of the muscles and get a rough idea of ​​their tension. The ideal shoulder touch is soft and it is effortless to press down. When the shoulder muscles are stiff, they will feel either like hard stone or rope-like, and will be accompanied by soreness when pressed.

Treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine

From a TCM perspective, shoulder muscle stiffness is also caused by stagnation of Qi and blood, so the primary focus of treatment is to relax the muscles. According to clinical experience, hot compress, massage, acupuncture and moxibustion are all good ways to deal with shoulder muscle stiffness. Usually, shoulder pain can be greatly improved after just one or two treatments.

However, most people's shoulder muscle stiffness is caused by work and life habits, and it is quite difficult for many people to solve the problem fundamentally. Often it is just when the time for repair has come that we will come in for regular outpatient maintenance. Although it is the right thing to do to see a doctor when you have aches and pains, I still hope that everyone can learn more about self-care. At least after working or studying for 50 minutes, you should get up and move around, stretch, or do some stretching exercises. Don't always wait until your muscles are sore and stiff before going to the rehabilitation department or Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinic for remedies.

Shoulder muscle stiffness symptoms

1. Shoulder pain and muscle stiffness, unilateral or bilateral.

2. Pain symptoms worsen over time. Usually, the discomfort symptoms do not appear in the morning, but gradually worsen in the afternoon and evening.

3. Pressing the shoulders will cause pain, but there is usually a brief feeling of comfort afterward.

Heat and Ice

In case of acute pain such as sprains and strains, if there is redness, swelling, heat and pain, apply ice. Generally speaking, ice is usually applied within 24 hours of the accident. When applying ice, wrap the ice in a towel or clothing and then apply it to the painful area, avoiding direct contact of the ice with the skin. Apply the ice for about 10 to 15 minutes to avoid frostbite of the muscles.

For chronic pain such as muscle stiffness, hot compresses should be applied to improve blood circulation and promote metabolism. Generally speaking, hot compress is suitable when the burning sensation in the affected area has subsided and there are no wounds. If the pain is severe, consider alternating between hot and cold compresses. When applying hot compress, soak a towel in hot water and wring it dry, or directly use a hot compress bag, electric blanket, etc. The principle is to avoid burning the skin. The heat compress can be applied for a longer period of time, 20 to 30 minutes or even an hour.