Teen athletes, musicians, and heavy tech users frequently struggle with tight, painful, and/or strained muscles in the neck and shoulders. The pain can be strong and frequent enough to interfere with sleeping and can compromise performance of athletic and musical activities.
When parents take their teens to a pediatrician, they will often be recommended a daily treatment of anti-inflammatory pain-relieving medication. In more severe cases a pediatrician may refer the teen to physical therapy which often helps to correct muscle imbalances but may not always relieve the tight strained muscles.
However, there are effective, safe, non-pharmaceutical methods to ease pain, relieve muscle tension, and decrease inflammation. A combination of acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, and topical herbal medicine can quickly and effectively relieve suffering from strained neck and shoulder muscles.
How Cupping Relieves Muscle Tension
Cupping is essentially a reverse massage. A cup is placed near the area of tight muscles and either by squeezing, pumping, or placing heat inside the cup, a suction is created so that the skin and muscles are slightly suctioned up into the cup. This pulls the tight muscle fibers apart, releasing muscle adhesions and allowing cellular waste products stuck within the muscle fibers to release out and be removed through the lymphatic system.
Cups can be kept on one key trigger point location to loosen a muscle end to end or can be moved across the full length of a muscle or multiple muscle groups to encourage release of muscle adhesions and improvements in lymphatic circulation.
How Acupuncture Releases Muscle Tension and Pain
Acupuncture can be used in a few ways to release muscle tension and relieve pain:
- Acupuncture needles can be inserted directly into the affected muscles at “trigger points” which work to release the muscle tightness;
- Acupuncture can be used on other parts of the body to release muscle tension – such as locations on the lower leg that release shoulder pain, or acupuncture points on the ear that relate to the shoulder and neck; and
- The insertion of acupuncture needles causes the body to release endorphins and serotonin, both of which are involved in helping the body feel reduced pain sensations overall.
When we combine acupuncture with cupping, the results can be quite dramatic.
Topical Herbal Medicines for Pain Relief
At Inspire Family Acupuncture we use topical herbal medicines to help reduce pain and muscle tension. One example is Summer Solace TraumaBalm, a combination of CBD and anti-inflammatory and pro-circulatory herbal oils. This product is miraculous at calming inflammation, increasing circulation, and reducing pain.
If you are looking to support your teen in reducing neck and shoulder pain, call Inspire Family Acupuncture to get started with gentle and compassionate care!
