Dear Henry,
I don't use spray & stretch & don't work w/ neck TPs except rarely
to use counterstrain technique (Jones' work) which is very effective
in the neck.
I have found that the neck muscles relax best when the patient is in
supine. Further, I prefer this position because while I massage along
the spine cranially, I can hold the patient's head with the heels of my
palms & continually assess whether I have the full weight of the head,
& continuously give feedback to the patient about how well he/she is
relaxing.
Besides this method, which can precede joint mobilization, if needed,
I find the McKenzie technique of traction/retraction/extension to be
most effective.
The lateral muscles are best worked caudally; the suboccipitals with
either steady pressure or laterally.
I do work w/ facial trigger points, very effective for headaches, but
find they relax best with very slow strokes, almost myofascial release.
I have excellant results with patients with neck pain & headaches.
Sarah Fern Striffler, PT, LMT
Henry Tsao wrote:
> Hello everybody,
>
> I have been using myofascial trigger points for the last 6-7 months, and
> have been getting remarkable results with low back pain patients. However, I
> have found that with patients with neck pain, I am not getting as much
> success. Has anybody also found this in their practice??
> Anyone have any advice on what I can do??
>
> I believe that it is the method that we stretch and spray the muscles,
> because with low back pain, most of the stretch and spray is done with the
> muscles totally relaxed, whereas with the cervical spine, the muscles are
> still activated holding the head against gravity. Any thoughts on this at
> all??
>
> Henry***
>
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