What a Pain in the Neck!

Neck pain and headaches are VERY common in pregnancy and postpartum. 

In this post, you will learn:

1. Why this happens

2. Common causes of neck pain/headaches

3. How to relieve the pain

4. How to stop aggravation

5. Long term relief

*Disclaimer: All of the content is for educational and informational purposes only. None of which constitutes as medical advice and does not establish any kind of patient-provider relationship by your use of this website. Please consult your doctor or qualified medial professional if you have a genuine concern regarding your health or the health of your baby

This is a GENERAL GUIDE for neck pain with GENERL INFORMATION. Everyone’s neck pain and circumstances are different. Ideally, you should have an individualized treatment plan based on your unique needs (I can help with this). BUT, I’d like to share a few things to you get started…

Why does neck pain/headaches occur?

During Pregnancy:

• Your center of gravity changes as your baby grows and increased breast tissue leads to…

  • Forward head posture

    • Puts increased strain on the muscles in the back of the neck

    • Can lead to headaches

  • Shoulders round forward

  • Upper back rounds and can become stiff

During Postpartum:

• Caring for the baby - holding, rocking, feeding, etc. leads to…

  • Continued forward head/neck

    • Puts strain on the muscles in the back of the neck

  • Shoulders round forward with pec tightness

  • Upper back stiffness

Causes

In addition to the things mentioned above…

• Muscle imbalance: weakness or tightness

  • Our bodies crave balance and when one area is too tight or another area is weak, this can lead to aches/pains

  • Specifically for the head/neck:

• Tightness of the muscles in the back of the neck (from forward head posture)

• Weakness in the muscles in front of the neck (deep neck flexors)

• Tightness in the pecs (from rounded shoulders)

• Weakness in the muscles of the upper back

Pain relieving techniques

• In my experience, most neck muscles get tight and need the relaxing effects of heat.

  • A warm compress on the back of the neck for 10 -15 minutes (20 minutes MAX) can do wonders!

• After relaxing those muscles, do gentle neck motions

  • Tilt your head side to side, left and right, up and down (5-10 times)

    • **Only do motions that feel comfortable

• Suboccipital release with tennis balls (a favorite technique for headaches)

  • Place two tennis balls or golf balls in a sock or pillow case

  • Lay down and place the balls right below your skull - on the muscles at the base of your head

  • Relax your head/neck into the balls and feel the pressure relieving those tight muscles

  • You can do gentle head motions side to side or left to right to target those especially tight spots

  • Do this for 2-5 minutes

Trigger point release of neck and/or upper back muscles

• Stand up against a wall

• Using a massage ball, lacrosse ball, or golf ball, find those tight muscles or “knots”

• Place the ball between you and the wall

• Roll the ball over those muscles using the pressure from the wall

• Start with gentle pressure and work your way up in intensity always making sure it’s not painful

• Roll for 2-5 minutes

Daily Modifications to Stop Aggravation

• Modify the activities throughout your day that are aggravating your pain

  • If we can improve your alignment/position as well as movement patterns it will put less stress/strain on our neck

• Keep 2 motions in mind (Check out this blog post for how to do these motions)

  • Chin tuck

  • Shoulder blade squeeze

    • Use these any time you are looking down or using your arms (aka almost everything you do)

Long Term Relief:

• Mobility/flexibility

  • Stretching the muscles of the neck: Upper Trap Stretch and Levator Scap Stretch (See this post)

  • Stretching pec muscles: Foam Roll or Doorway Pec Stretch (See this post)

  • Thoracic mobility: Open Book (See this post)

• Strength/stability

  • Chin Tucks: Improve strength of deep neck flexors for stability of head/neck (See this post)

  • Shoulder Matrix: Improve upper back strength (See this post)

In Summary:

1. Relieve your pain with heat and gentle movements

2. Modify your daily activities to prevent aggravation with the chin tuck and shoulder blade squeeze

3. Movement component: mobility and stability for long term relief

Personally, I woke up with a sore neck a few months back, I followed these steps above and my pain was gone in 2 days! 

1. I performed gentle motions to relax my neck muscles

2. I figured out what the cause of my neck pain was - holding my daughter’s hands while walking, so I modified this with the chin tuck and shoulder blade squeeze or helped her in a different way

3. I did pec stretching whenever I passed a doorway, chin tucks throughout the day when I remembered, did the open book stretch a few times throughout the day, then some upper back strengthening after my neck pain was gone

4. GOOD NEWS - no more neck pain!
   

I want this for you too!

Remember, this is a GENERAL GUIDE for neck pain. Everyone’s neck pain and situations are different. If you want an individualized plan to address your unique needs, schedule a 1:1 Virtual Consult. Let’s get you thriving!