Dear Mark

Thanks heaps for this, I have already started to read it( the ebook) thoroughly and it is all good information !  I like all of the stretches and I can feel it triggering the points I think I need help with which is great – I have always had some minor backaches but a couple of months ago I started to have tension headaches all the time, like daily.  I am not one to want to pop pills for them all the time but when they did not go it got really annoying so that is when I started to try and find some answers myself.  Done the chiropractor, no help now I am seeing a masseuse who is excellent and gets me to do stretches also and an osteopath who is great too.

One thing I was wondering

- Basically both the masseuse and osteopath both say I am very tight in the neck muscles, the muscles that are on top of your shoulders and any other muscle around that area.  Did not have any accident as such, but woke one morning with a very stiff neck and things have not been the same since.  Anyway what I wanted to ask, I get this sort of dizzy sensation when I move my head in a certain way – been tested for the benign postural vertigo thing and it is not that – the room does not spin it is just an off balance feeling for a few seconds but it does not happen every time I move my head – so wondering if the cause of this could be all the muscle tension causing the tension headache and the dizzy sort of feelings ?  Funny enough since stumbling across your site and doing the stretches every hour this week I have not had the headaches anywhere near as bad and the dizziness has lessened too – so maybe it is all connected?

Chris, the tightness in your neck and shoulders is very much due to your forward head posture. The constant need for your muscles to contract hour after hour to keep your head in this position is not only painful but also tiring. Remember that every inch your head translates forward of the central position it creates and extra 10 lbs of weight for your neck structures to deal with. This will make your neck muscles tight and sore. Furthermore, trigger points will also develop because of long term sustained contraction. Trigger points refer pain and also other sensations such as tingling and heaviness to mention but a few. At the base of the back of your skull is a common place for them to develop and refer occipital headaches(back of head) and also over the eyes and forehead. The exercises will help this as they stretch out the small suboccipital muscles and lengthen the muscle tissues. You can also press your thumbs into the soft areas at the base of your skull to help deactivate these. Basically, search there for the most tender regions/spots and press on them firmly for 20-30 seconds. You can do this several times a day. By loosening your muscles you will allow the capillaries to move blood more freely again and this too should help your dizziness. The very good news is that after suffering for so many months and having various forms of treatments you are already feeling better from doing my stretches and your symptoms have already lessened-this is connected!

- In regards to pillows, you suggest the roll pillows are the better ones, which makes sense cause you really only need to fill that gap in the neck area – any suggestions as to brands or pillows to look for?

In the DVD I give all of my recommendations regarding which are the best and worst pillows

- When I do the chin tuck exercises is it “normal” to feel a sore pulling feeling on the top of a shoulder ?  Every time I do them, which is on the hour pretty much I feel this pull or tension on my right top shoulder?

 You are changing your length of certain  muscles and stretching many intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. This should abate soon. Remember, the chin tuck exercises do the opposite of what you have been doing for many years( the forward head posture) so we are gently changing things around for the better. It is absolutely normal for some people to experience some soreness initially.

- How long from doing these exercises does it take to build strength and get rid of the pain for most of your patients?  I am keeping very aware of my posture and I know for certain that I had rolled shoulders and the head forward posture probably for many years – I keep correcting myself all the time!

Every person is different as is every persons condition however, if you work steadily with the exercises like you have been, continue with good postural habits like you have been you should continue to see a decrease in your symptoms like you have been seeing. In general, the more chronic a condition tends to be the longer it takes to get better.  I have seen people who have had pain for years become pain free in days!

- I find it incredibly hard to have good posture when relaxing, watching TV sitting on the couch etc – am I better to lie on the floor or sit on the floor with my back up against the couch ?

I expect that you are now realizing( like many of my clients do) just how bad many sofas and lounge chairs are for our backs and necks. One thing that you can do is to put a small cushion behind your lower back which will help not only your neck but also your lower back. Sofas are generally very bad for lower backs and therefore for necks. I am not sure how long you are going to be comfortable sitting on the floor but a nice thing to do is to lay on the floor on your stomach propped up on your forearms( like we did when we were children- think of the cobra position in yoga)to watch TV for a while. If you just get out of the couch every now and again and spend a few minutes like this it will help your neck and definately your lower back. In the DVD i show lots of ways to help you attain good posture throughout your day easily.

- Lastly do you have any other suggestions on how to keep the good posture going, is it more of a keep correcting yourself and then with time you find you have to correct yourself less ?  Or are there any products you suggest to help with this, like posture braces or even taping you back so you can feel when you are sitting wrong.

Again, on the DVD I make suggestions to help you with your posture. It is an old habit that you are changing but like any habit it takes a little effort initially to change. Very soon you will feel very comfortable in good postural position and slouching will feel bad to you. I do not suggest braces or taping because you want your muscles to be doing the work for you not be reliant on things propping you up. In a Very short time it will all feel very natural to you.

Sorry to be a “pain in your neck” mate, just a few questions I have had for a while now – I swear I wont be in contact after this !!!!  haha  If you were close by I would happily come to you for sure !!  Wish there were more like you all over the world !

Take care and thanks again
Chris

It’s a pleasure to be able to help you. One last thing though-for those tight upper back  muscle knots and tension I suggest you get a tennis ball and stand with your back to a wall. Place the tennis ball between the wall and your upper back and lean into it so that you are allowing the tennis ball to press on your knots and thereby releasing them. Hold for 20-30 seconds on each tender spot and then move onto another tender spot-you will find plenty! Do this 3-4 times a day.

Lastly, it is imperative if you spend a LOT  of time sitting at a desk or computer that you take regular breaks.( every 40 minutes or so) Do the exercises for the upper back and chest and you will feel much better

Kind Regards,

Mark

Related posts

 Treat your own Neck DVD( this is my new DVD that explains all of these concepts in much greater depth and teaches you how  to do the McKenzie exercises correctly as well. It also shows you exercises and stretches that you must avoid otherwise you could very easily be doing more damage)

To learn more have a look at these posts:

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

the best pillow for neck pain

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

Click on the image to view magazine

The forward head posture

The number one cause of  neck pain and disc bulges is the forward head posture. Your head weighs 8-10 lbs and when you sit and stand poorly you put enormous stresses on your neck structures( muscles, discs, tendons and capsules). In fact, if you sit and stand in correct posture your head should be sitting on top of your shoulders very much like a golf ball sits on top of a tee.

However, when you start to sit forward( ie slouchat the computer) you then require your muscles,  tendons and other parts of your back and neck to ‘hold you up ‘against gravity. This is not only fatigues your muscles  but also produces pain. This is why the mayo clinic states that ‘prolonged forward head posture leads to long term muscle strains, disc herniations and pinched nerves’.

This is also why getting treatments or doing stretches or taking pain killers or even having surgery is ridiculous if you dont remove the major cause to your neck pain.

 One of the major reasons that people who have had back surgery require more back surgery later on is because they never removed the causes that damaged their backs in the first place.

Imagine this, you spend all day slouched in front of a computer and this causes great strains on your discs. Then your disc finally gives way and herniates(bulges) and presses on a nerve. This then causes you immense pain and or weakness and or numbness in your arm and or hand. You go to a surgeon and he tells you to take some muscle relaxants and some painkillers. You do this and it gives you some temporary relief however you continue to slouch at your computer, whilst driving your car and when you read your favorite book in bed at night. The discs are still continually being forced backwards towards the nerve again.

After your ten day course of drugs from the surgeon you feel reasonably well( if your’e lucky) but another week goes by and your problem comes back again. Why? because you continued to slouch and sit and stand with a forward head posture and thus continued to exacerbate your problem.

However, you are not told that the forward head posture is the cause of your disc protrusions and pinched nerve. You are scheduled for surgery because the numbness has become worse and the pain is now also much worse.

 Your sleep is also badly affected. You buy pillows to help your neck but of course it is nothing more than a bandaid because the majority of damage is being done during the day because of your poor posture.

You spend thousands of dollars on chiropractic, massage and acupuncture treatments and never get anything more than temporary relief at best. Why? The cause has still not been addressed.

You finally commit to surgery. However, even after surgery you have not been told that the forward head posture is the main cause of neck pain. You have no guarantee that the surgery will make you better, it could even make you worse.

What if i was to tell you that by using good postural habits and doing two simple exercises you could say goodbye to your neck pain. Not only that, but you will also remain pain free if you continue to do these simple steps. Yes it is that easy.

Only by removing the causes of your neck pain, disc bulges and pinched nerves and by doing very specific exercises can you hope to remove your pain and symptoms.

The best exercises to do for neck pain and especially disc bulges and pinched nerves are the McKenzie Neck exercises

Also see:Treat your own neck DVD( this is my new DVD that explains all of these concepts in much greater depth and teaches you how  to do the McKenzie exercises correctly as well. It also shows you exercises and stretches that you must avoid otherwise you could very easily be doing more damage)

To learn more have a look at these posts:

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

the best pillow for neck pain

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

there is really no mystery about removing neck ache

Neck ache is commonly misunderstood. I will show you just how easy it is to fix neck ache without having to get numerous treatments, without hours of stretching and without pain killers or surgery.

I am also going to show you why getting treatments or doing exercises for your neck ache is generally a fruitless pursuit. You can seek out the purported best neck exercises but none of these will give you anything more than temporary relief at best.I am going to  explain to you why you have been suffering from either  recurrent bouts of pain or constant pain and what you must do to become pain free permanently. This is not something magical, it has nothing to do with gimmicks or gadgets, it is simply about physics, the laws of gravity and your body mechanics. This is the answer to removing your neck ache. It is simple and straighforward and will make perfect common sense to you.

Firstly: No amount of Treatments,  anti-inflammatories, exercises for your neck ache, yoga classes, Pilates, TENS, Ultrasound, osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, Massages or stretches will ever keep your neck pain free permanently if you do not remove the causes.

Let me show you just how ridiculous it would be to expect otherwise-and unfortunately, this is exactly what millions of people do every day throughout the world. 

 If you hit your thumb with a hammer each and every day would you expect acupuncture, chiropractic,  massages, prolotherapy or any other treatments for that matter to fix your pain?

Of course not. You know that unless you stop hitting your thumb with a hammer every day, can you ever hope to be out of pain. You must remove the cause-hitting your thumb with a hammer. Otherwise, if you were to get treatments for this you would be throwing your money down the drain right?

Imagine this ridiculous situation: you hit your thumb with a hammer and go to a therapist and he does some work on your thumb and it feels a bit better. He tells you to come back in 3 days for more treatment. You pay him for the treatment.

You get back into your car and grab a hammer from the glovebox and hit your thumb with a hammer.You arrive home and hit your thumb with another hammer  several more times and whilst watching TV that night you give your thumb a few good old whacks again.

When it’s time to go to sleep your thumb is very sore, you have however invested in a super soft contoured pillow to put your thumb on to make it easier to sleep. This helps somewhat, its not great but its better than a normal pillow.

You get up in the morning make a coffee, turn on your computer and ‘whacko’, start  belting your thumb with your hammer again.

Each day you do this same routine.

Then by the time 3 days comes around its time to see the therapist. Your thumb of course is very sore . He does some treatment again and recommends that you come 3 times a week for the next 3 months.

Well, you know that you dont need treatments. You just need to stop hitting your thumb with a hammer. This will remove the cause of your pain and you will then be fine once your thumb has a chance to heal. You have then removed the cause of your pain rather than going to see a therapist and paying thousands of dollars to have nothing more than your symptoms treated.

Well, guess what. This is exactly what happens to millions of people with neck ache each and every single day. If you have not addressed the major causes of your neck ache and removed them you are doing exactly the same as the person hitting his thumb with a hammer. You are paying your hard earned dollars to your therapist to treat your symptoms whilst still causing your neck to hurt.

You MUST remove the cause of your neck ache. For more on this see the articles below.

The best exercises to do for neck pain and especially disc bulges and pinched nerves are the McKenzie Neck exercises

“The simplest and most effective solution to neck pain on the market today!”

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

stretches for stiff necks

Neck pain-the 4 best ways to get it

Neck Exercises-The best and Worst to do and Why

Neck Pain and Arthritis

Driving and neck Pain- an Easy Fix

It might sound paradoxical at first, but this is very effective in relieving tension headache.

 Try to soak your feet in hot water to get relief from tension headache. By drawing blood to your feet, the hot-water foot bath will help in easing pressure on the blood vessels in the head. Pressure on the blood vessels in the head following a contraction of the muscles in the head and neck is the primary reason for tension headache, and this technique, without medication, might do just that – ease the pressure on the blood vessels.

If you cannot find hot water for soaking your feet, you might use a hot compress on your forehead or at the back of your neck. Since the contraction of muscles causes headache, this hot compress might help in relaxing the contracted muscles and provide instant relief to you from the tension headache.

You can even try the other way round, as well. Contraction of the muscles causes the blood vessels You can wrap a couple of ice cubes, and apply it as a cold compress on your forehead. Cold constricts the blood vessels, and, whey they shrink, they stop exerting pressure on the sensitive nerves, and, as such, you might get relief from the headache instantly to exert pressure on the sensitive nerves and this pressure causes headache.

One more thing one can try to get relieved from tension headache is to soak his or her hand in iced water for as long as one can bear it. When the hands are submerged in water, it is advisable to repeatedly open and close the fists. This simple trick will help in getting relief, as the cold dilates blood vessels and relieves the pressure on the nerves.

Finally a note worth remembering is that trigger points in the back of the neck create headaches at the base of the skull and also across the side of the head and into the eye. This is easily helped by removing the cause that is creating the trigger points.

Check out these to get a better understanding of why you are suffering from not only headaches but also neck pain. Fix the cause and like magic, you will fix your pains. ( remember, the pains are a symptom not a cause)

For More see :”the simplest and most effective system to relieve neck pain on the market today”

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

Just in case you were wondering, NO tigers are used in tiger balm

Tiger balm is one of those wonderful things that everyone should have in their cupboards. It can be great to use on aches and pains. However, have you ever thought of making your own?

Here is how:

(Tiger balm was created by the herbalist Aw Chu Kin in Rangoon, Burma. Just before he died he asked his 2 sons to perfect his recipe and so they did, selling it with the name tiger balm (tigers are very much a sign of strength and vitality in these parts). It works by dilating the blood vessels which bring blood closer to the skin surface and creates a warm sensation. It also has a local analgesic effect to decrease pain.)

Firstly, you will need to find these essential oils(organic if possible):

• 12 drops eucalyptus ess. Oil
• 12 drops peppermint ess. Oil
• 6 drop clove ess.oil
• ¼  cup emu oil, coconut oil or extra virgin live oil
• 1 tbsp beeswax
• Small glass containers( having a baby, I find the glass gerber baby food containers excellent)

Step 1

Combine 1 oz. of the beeswax and the mineral oil in a saucepan over low heat. Heat only until the beeswax melts. This is the jelly. Pour it into a container and let it rest.

Step2

Mix the essential oils together by combining the ginger (optional), camphor, lavender, eucalyptus, wintergreen and peppermint essential oils in a glass bottle or jar.

Step3

Combine the remaining beeswax, the menthol crystals and 1 oz. of the jelly over low heat. Stir it constantly and heat it only until the beeswax melts.

Step4

Let it cool for a few minutes and then add 5 tbsp. of the essential oil mixture, stirring until they are mixed thoroughly together. Pour the Tiger Balm into the containers and allow it to cool completely.

Step5

Rub it on the affected area.

For More see :”the simplest and most effective system to relieve neck pain on the market today”

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

If you get neck pain at the computer i can absolutely bet that you are slouching and one of the best ways to counteract this is to check if your hands are above or beyond your knees when you are at the computer. Your hands should  before your knees  if your posture is correct. If you are slouching, your arms are reaching forward and your hands are going to be beyond your knees.

For More see :”the simplest and most effective system to relieve neck pain on the market today”

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say

Look at the weight and strain on the neck structures-thats why treatments nor exercises will make you pain free permanently

What is the major reason that exercises for neck pain do not remove your neck pain permanently? Why does massage, chiropractic, Yoga, acupuncture help you only temporarily? Why do you wake up suddenly with neck pain and cant turn your head?

Look no further than your foward head posture. When you sit poorly and stand poorly for that matter you create stresses so great for your neck that it is impossible for you not to suffer from neck and upper back pain. Every inch your head travels forward of the central position creates and extra 10lbs of weight on your neck structures. This means that if you are sitting here reading this without sitting upright( think-if you were to drop a rock from your chin would it drop onto your chest or onto the floor?) you are probably putting anywhere between 20-40lbs of strain onto your neck.

I want you to imagine how long you could hold a 40lb bag of potatoes with an outstretched arm and how much it would hurt if you had to do it( if you physically could) for two hours. Your arm and shoulder would not only be screaming in pain but they would also hurt for days after that.

This is what you do each and every day if you sit and stand in poor posture.

Take it a step further. If i asked you to hold that bag of potatoes every day in the same manner your arm would be in constant pain especially whilst you were holding it. If you wanted to stop your arm hurting what would be the best way to stop it?

1. stretch your arm and shoulder
2. get chiropractic treatments, massages, acupuncture or various other treatments spending thousands of dollars
3. remove the cause of your pain and stop holding the bag of potatoes with an outstretched arm

Of course, number three is correct because if you continue to aggravate your shoulder, continually straining your joints and muscles by holding this 40lb bag of potatoes you will continue to have pain. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to know this. You wouldnt spend you hard earnt money on treatments to try to fix your pain when you know your pain will be fixed by simply fixing the cause of your pain. You would simply stop causing your pain right?

Your neck is no different. This is why neck exercises will not work whilst you are continually harming your neck and upper back each and every day. This is also why it is nothing more than ludicris to get treatments and expect to remain pain free if you continue to hurt your neck. And of course this is exactly what happens to people. They either suffer from constant neck pain or recurrent bouts of neck pain.

 I can tell you that i do not get any treatments for my neck. I have not spent thousands of dollars on an ergonomic chair-I sit on a $15 chair. I have not suffered from neck pain in years. You do not have to suffer from neck pain.

If you want to remove your neck pain and become pain free i suggest you have a look at these:

The best exercises to do for neck pain and especially disc bulges and pinched nerves are the McKenzie Neck exercises

“the simplest and most effective solution to neck pain on the market today!”

Stop looking like a Neanderthal.

  The McKenzie exercises for neck pain and treating disc bulges and pinched nerves have time and time again shown to be incredibly effective. They have been tested clinically and researched probably more than any other form of exercises for tretaing neck pain and pinched nerves. The theory is mechanically based, straight forward and easy to learn.

 They do however need to be done correctly. You can make your situation worse but this is very unlikely if you know what to look for. The centralisation phenomenon is what Mr Mckenzie referred to when your symptoms begin to get better and move out of the affected limb. For example, if you have a pinched nerve in your neck and its producing  symptoms on your arm/hand or fingers you would be looking for a decrease in symptoms in the affected arm and/or hand as the symptoms move from the periphery and become more centralised towards the spine. 

One of the most important things that you must do is get out of the neanderthal man posture! this is known as the foward head posture and is the worst thing that you can do for your neck shor of driving in smash up derbies every weekend. No matter how good the McKenzie exercises are, you must be sure to remove the causes of your neck pain first otherwise your neck pain will come back- and this is exactly what is happening right? You are good for a while but then suddenly you wake up with a crick in your neck or conversly you are pretty much always in pain but it ranges from low grade pain to much worse. So why is this? Why is neck pain seemingly so mysterious? Its here one day just out of the blue for no apparent reason just in time to coincide with your long awaited vacation, or just in time to make you cancel your saturday golf game because your can’t look over your shoulder.

  I have produced a DVD which not only shows you how to do the McKenzie exercises for neck pain and pinched nerves but also explains why you have neck pain, how you get disc bulges and pinched nerves, how you avoid getting them, how to treat them successfully and much more.

The neck pain DVD teaches you how to become pain free quickly and easily especially for those of you that use the computer a lot. It shows you many tips on how to avoid getting pain when you are driving and the common pitfalls and traps people fall into when it comes to neck pain. I explain why certain exercises need to be completely avoided and why and how you can make your problems much worse without being aware of it until it’s too late.

 It also covers other aspects like what to look for when buying a pillow and which are the best and worst for you. But more than that, you will understand why just buying a pillow will not fix your problem unless you have fixed the causes of your pain first and foremost.

• You will also learn about which sleeping positions you should avoid
• why you should throw away your keyboard tray on your computer desk
• the most common reasons people suffer from pain while driving and how to fix them
• the most effective ways to help a stiff neck
• how to help necks with arthritis and whiplash disorders
• and much more

My 3 step method has helped thousands of my clients over the past twenty years throughout the world and it will help you too. I have helped people from all walks of life including Presidents and their families, high level athletes and Olympians, moviestars and people from all walks of life.

The reason my method has been so successful is that it treats the causes of your neck problems not just the symptoms. It shows you why just doing exercises or having treatments is not going to ever fix your neck pain permanently if you do not remove the major causes of your neck pain.

Best of all, if you are not completely satisfied I will give you your money back. GUARANTEED!

 to get your copy and be neck pain free forever

or to learn more  about my neck pain DVD

CLICK HERE

if you would like to know how to do the McKenzie neck exercises  click here

We teach this at our spa and people absolutely love it. If you slouch then YOU WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PAIN.

The Major Cause of Neck Pain

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The 13 most important things to do to have a pain free neck

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Sleeping positions and neck pain

The best mattress for neck pain-what the studies say