Self-massage and Myofascial Pain: From Head to Fingers
Aka I'm going to talk about a muscle that is neither in the head or the fingers. It's a neck muscle called the sternocleidomastoid.
(STER-no-KLY-do-MAST-oid, or SCM for people who don't take joy in pronouncing long, confusing words.)
I am not a professional massage therapist, just a professional don't-wanna-be-in-pain guy.
This one is for...everyone. Or just about. The SCM can contribute to a vast, VAST variety of pains. Here's a sampling:
A variety of headaches (in the eye, above the eye, top of the head)
Jaw problems (including Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Dysfunction, stiffness, clicking)
And they also contribute to and are perpetuated by a foreward head posture--something that anyone who uses a phone or computer should be familiar with. Foreward head posture can further contribute to symptoms such as:
And arm and hand pain, including symptoms similar to tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, grip weakness, and much more.
See why this one applies to everyone?
Now, full disclaimer, I'm hesitant to make this the second trigger point I talk about because neck muscles are extremely sensitive. However, I'm still reaping the benefits of having finally bitten the bullet and trying this myself, and it feels important to make this one of the first I talk about.
That said, this is your first of many warnings. Go easy on these muscles. Gentle massage is better than no massage.
Here's a quick few rules:
Don't massage the SCM more than 3 times a day. In fact, if you find they are very sensitive, I recommend once a day and right before bed or a nap.
As always, never massage a pulse.
If you feel dizzy or faint, release all pressure until you regain your bearings.
Do this massage with your eyes open and sitting up. It will help you maintain awareness.
Never use massage tools on your neck.
For those with anxiety: I know this sounds nerve-wracking. As long as you go slow and listen to your body, you won't hurt yourself. If you accidentally squeeze the wrong place, it's not the end of the world! Just release pressure, move your fingers, and try again. It's only deep and extended pressure that will get you into trouble, okay?
With all that said, let's get to the good stuff.
The SCM muscles are the ones that make that sexy little V on the neck, connecting from behind the ear down to the collarbone. For all the trouble they cause, they rarely hurt themselves, which is why they get overlooked.
You've got two on each side. One in front, and one deeper in the neck. I'll teach you how to get at both.
We'll start with the guy up front. Here's a snazzy little pictogram courtesy of The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook.
The shaded areas are (some of) the pain patterns caused by this muscle. The dots are meant to represent trigger points (TrPs), but the reality is that they can occur along the full length.
As a rule of thumb, TrPs further up cause more symptoms in the head. Further down contributes to everything below. This goes for both the shallow muscle and the deeper muscle.
Find somewhere to sit straight and relax your body.
Use your fingers to find your pulse on your chosen side, between the SCM and the windpipe. If your fingers aren't sensitive enough to feel your pulse, you should not do this massage yourself.
Move to the SCM side of your pulse, replace your fingers with your thumb.
Grasp the SCM lightly with your fingers and thumb, firstly just to find where you will be working. The SCM is not large, probably around the width of your finger, so don't reach too far back. If you're having trouble grasping it, look Away from the side you're working on, then tilt your head Towards it.
Now that you're familiar, make a C with your grasp fingers so that it's the tips holding the muscle. The intent is to exert more pressure with less effort. Make sure your fingernails are short for this.
Now slowly, keeping your grip light, you want to...well, the easiest way I can describe it is that your want to milk the SCM. Use short strokes, releasing the pressure at the end of each. You can massage all the way up to the ear, and all the way down to the collarbone.
Again, go easy. If you're like me, this will be painful at first. You might even feel a little brain fucked from doing this, but as long as you aren't feeling faint or dizzy, you're good to go. Don't push yourself--take a break when you've had enough.
Afterwards, lightly stretch this muscle by turning your head to the side three times.
And now for the deeper SCM.
This guy isn't any harder than the shallow one. In fact, I don't even need to give you an entire list of instructions. Follow the steps above, but when you grasp the muscle, you instead want to take a larger fingerful, closer to the width of two fingers.
To help you understand what I'm getting at, put your fingertips on the back side of your neck, a small ways down and behind your ear. Gently dig in and pull forward--everything you can grasp from this point to your windpipe comprises both SCM muscles. All you need to do is grasp this entire chunk of muscle and perform the massage as described above.
With continued massage, you should gradually feel less tension in your jaw, neck, and shoulders. Your head might feel a bit clearer, you might have fewer and less intense headaches. Keep doing this massage until you can't find any tender points in the SCM.
And as a preventative--try to find ways to keep yourself from slouching or holding your head forward. A simple exercise is to pull your head back, like you're giving yourself an extra chin.
If you're interested in more posts like this, check out these links:
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