Massage for neck and shoulder tension in San Francisco

People tell me the upper traps feel like ropes. The neck won't turn all the way toward one shoulder. A headache starts at the base of the skull and climbs. By noon the shoulders are up by the ears, and sometimes the jaw is tired too.

See a doctor first if this started with a fall or a car accident, if a headache is sudden and severe, if an arm feels numb or weak, or if you have chest pain.

We start with a short check-in. I want to know what you do with your hands all day, and whether the headache has a side.

Then I work. Deep tissue on the upper traps and levator scapulae. Myofascial release when the same line of tissue keeps coming back. The chest and the front of the shoulders get time, because they pull the shoulders forward. At the base of the skull I slow down. Pressure stays lighter there. I stay off anything that feels nerve-like or sharp.

I wrote more in your headache might be living in your shoulders, and in why your jaw is tired by noon.

Turning your head is often a little easier. The neck can feel longer. The area may be tender that night. Don't crank it through a hard stretch before bed.

If numbness shows up, or the headache changes in a way that worries you, see a doctor.

A chin tuck is the one I give most often. Sit tall. Draw the chin straight back, like a small double chin, and hold a few seconds. About eight times. It asks the deep neck muscles to help, so the traps don't have to hold your head up alone.

Put the screen closer to eye height. If the laptop stays in your lap, the neck will climb back up by tomorrow. The desk posture page has the rest of that setup.