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There are many possible causes of headaches and neck and shoulder pain — disc degeneration, arthritis, tendinitis, repetitive stress disorder and fibromyalgia, to name a few — all of which result in muscle tension and irritation of the affected ligaments and nerves.
Whatever the cause, the ultimate result is pain. Gaining the most from your treatment is easier when you understand how and why your body creates pain in the first place.
All the muscles involved in an act of movement will contract and then, ideally, relax again.
This is normal muscle function. Problems begin when the muscle contraction is caused by undue stress, the type we often associate with unpleasant or unhealthy conditions: emotional stress, physical trauma, repetitive strain, hormonal imbalance, poor spinal posture, bad diet, or any situation that is uncomfortable for the body.
These conditions cause the related muscles to contract and stay contracted, as if the body were in a constant state of alarm.
This instinctive muscular reaction is most likely a product of the body’s fight or flight reflex — something is wrong and the body is preparing for battle.
Sources of stress over time can manifest into long-term pain.
If the source of stress is sustained or repeated over time, the nerves will tell the muscles to stay contracted.
After a period of prolonged muscle contraction, the tensed muscles will not relax even with rest. Without proper treatment to relax it, the muscle will continue to contract and will eventually cause pain, from mild to excruciating.
Without the regular opportunity to relax, contracted muscles then irritate the nerves located beside or inside the muscle fibers, causing local nerve pain.
Pressure on a nerve can also cause something known as “referred pain,” in which pain travels a nerve pathway from its source the neck, to an affected area of the head or upper body.
The brain is often poor at interpreting the exact location of a pain source when it exists inside the body and instead ascribes it to a convenient nearby location — pain in the heart is interpreted as pain in the shoulder or left arm, and pain in your kidneys can be felt as a terrible burning in your back.
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