It seems that these particular muscles in the neck is the
solution to many problems in the upper body. It’s
called scalenes (SKAY-leenz) and
located in each side of the neck, next to the vertebrae. I never forget to work on these hidden
muscles in the neck.
Many people avoid touching the neck or don’t want it touched. However, working on these muscles solves so many pain problems in the upper body.
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| © Clair Davies |
- Upper back pain (the inner edge of the shoulder blade)
- Mid back pain
- Chest pain
- Front, side and back of shoulder pain
- Front and back of arm pain/numbness
- Pain, numbness, tingling, swelling in the arm and hand; symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome
Scalenes consist
of three muscles (anterior, middle, and
posterior), and attach to the sides of neck vertebrae and to the first and the
second ribs.
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© Clair Davies
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They help support the weight of the head, and flex and turn
the neck, but the main job is to lift the ribs when you inhale, so it has to do
with breathing. Breathing
shallowly with the chest because of emotional tension or respiratory problems
stress the scalenes. However,
daily activities like working with arms
out in front of the body, pulling, lifting, and carrying a heavy back pack, and
sports activities also easily overtax the muscles.
If you have one (or more) problems above, let’s focus on your neck first. In the next post, I will show you how to massage the
scalenes.