Floating with Neck and Shoulder Pain
In our modern day society, we’ve become accustomed to doing everything in a fast pace, thinking and moving quickly. Desk jobs and handheld devices force our bodies into an extremely limited range of motion over long periods of time, creating chronic pain in the neck and shoulders. The years of overuse in our day-to-day interactions with modern technology, like our computers and cellphones, has left many us feeling it’s effects on our overall health and well being. On top of that, many of us rarely, if ever, spend an adequate amount of time properly stretching and relieving the muscles and joints in this part of the body. These long term tension patterns can cause the muscles, joints and ligaments to atrophy or even calcify if the damage is serious enough, our nerves can become hyper-sensitive, all contributing to a further weakening the overall health and mobility of the cervical spine. Other contributing factors spinal pain are our stress and anxiety levels, which often, are the result of emotionally driven anxiety that is affecting the muscles and nerves in the neck, shoulders and back.
If you experience any neck and shoulder tension, stretch lightly when settling into your float, then lie very still and notice all the sensations in your neck. Do you feel any level of holding? Ask yourself if there is room to relax further. See how the body responds. Often when we float, we unknowingly hold the head and neck up, preventing the muscles from fully relaxing and restoring. Take a deep breath and consciously decide to trust in the buoyancy of the water. It will support you. Continue to focus on letting go throughout your float, noticing if the sensation changes over time.
5 Other Ways Float Therapy Helps With Neck Tension
- Magnesium helps to detoxify the body
- Magnesium helps to relieve anxiety + reduces stress hormones like Cortisol
- Reduces inflammation and pain experienced during and after your float
- The float pod is an anti-gravity style environment where the body can be fully supported to relax and let go of holding and tension.
- Better cognitive function, rest and sleep – the brain can receive the signals to turn off, resulting in less stress and more mental clarity.
Floating is a golden opportunity to rest your neck and shoulder after a long work week. Throughout the work day, take time to step away from the technology. Get up from your desk and stretch! The next time you come in for a float, remember that you are supported by the buoyancy in the water and you have the space to fully relax. Try stretching before and during your float to relieve any immediate pain you may have. For a continued longevity of pain relief, incorporate floating as a regular part of your life.
Happy floating everyone!
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