One of the most common ailments people come to seek acupuncture in Bremerton for is neck and shoulder pain. Roughly 66% of the population will experience neck pain at some point in their lives, while 15% live with chronic neck pain. Why is this such a common ailment in our society? There are several factors that we’ll discuss in this blog and explain how acupuncture and other health modalities can help to eliminate pain and prevent it from returning.

The neck is a delicate structure that is involved in a lot of everyday activities, which can put excessive strain on it. Some of these include: typing on the keyboard for long hours, strange sleeping postures, sudden movements and commonly having our head turned or tilted.  The neck is easily injured because it is delicate and we’re always moving it around in sometimes awkward ways.  Not to mention, it’s relatively narrow and has all the responsibility of supporting the head.

Probably the most common reason for neck pain in Bremerton is that a lot of daily stress and tension gets lodged in the neck and shoulders. In my acupuncture lineage, we were taught that it is the area related to where you “meet the world”. Examples of tension of this kind include: Getting cut off in traffic, listening to or being in an argument, and any other form of external stimulus which feels abrasive or like an attack.  You will notice when people experience this, their immediate reaction is to lift their shoulders and tense up. People will commonly do it, never realize it, and be in chronic pain. If this tension isn’t released commonly, it will accumulate and people will be left with rock hard tension. Even if neck and shoulder pain started off from some other cause, everyday types of stress will exacerbate the pain and stiffness. If left untreated for long enough, sometimes headaches will form, especially in the back and sides of the head.

Often people will tell you exactly why they have whatever issue they’re dealing with. They will say why their neck and shoulders hurt. In the clinic at Bremerton Wellness, you commonly hear “I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.” Right away, they are describing their tension and why they have it.

As health practitioners, sometimes we can’t lessen the burden’s that our patients experience, but we can help them to adapt to stressful situations better. That’s what acupuncture is excellent for. Not only will acupuncture help to increase blood flow to the painful area and reduce inflammation, if the treatment plan is correct, it will also help the patient to no longer respond to stress in the same way, so that what used to bother them, doesn’t have the same effect. Suddenly what was once overwhelming, is no longer an issue. The pain will also lessen and commonly go away too. For people who have been dealing with this issue for so long, it may be difficult to believe, but I have seen it go this way so often.

For neck and shoulder pain that is from injury in Bremerton, the points are carefully selected to help increase healthy blood flow to the affected area, reduce inflammation from the injury and resulting trauma, this greatly reduces pain and prevents it from coming back as strongly, until it reduces less and less over time.

In addition to acupuncture, an acupuncturist will also commonly perform cupping and gua sha in cases of neck and shoulder pain. This targets the myofascial tissue where the pain is residing, and releases it through the skin, creating a slight temporary redness. The positive effect and benefit of this is felt almost immediately. Cupping and gua sha when done properly do not have to hurt and leave big bruises. If you’re interested to learn more and see if acupuncture is a fit for you, we invite you to come in for a free consultation so we can begin to address your specific needs.

In health,

Michael Maniloff, LAc
Acupuncturist, Bremerton Wellness
BremertonWellness.com
(360) 627-7408