What is neck massage? Massage of the cervical-collar area

The collar area is the most uncomfortable, with medical point view, massage area. Techniques for stimulating it vary, but they have one thing in common - they are all aimed at improving blood circulation and getting rid of congestion. If pinched, massage will be especially helpful. This type of massage does not involve any significant effort; the whole secret of the effectiveness of working out the cervical-collar area lies in correct technique. Stimulation is useful for headaches, blurred vision, and pinched cervical vertebrae. The most effective massage is provided by an experienced massage therapist, but it is not always possible to seek help. In an emergency, self-massage techniques will help. The cervical spine is the only place that can be massaged independently.

Massage is recommended during physical activity; other indications and restrictions are presented below. Let's get acquainted with the features of this type of massage. Most often, the massage is performed while sitting, so you can work not only the back of the neck, but also the shoulders. Any massage begins with stroking movements. This will prepare the body for more powerful stimulation and improve blood microcirculation. Rub your shoulders, neck and shoulder blades with your knuckles. This gets the blood flowing and is very relaxing. The movement of the hands is carried out from top to bottom: from the neck to the shoulders. Then pinching is done. They are carried out from the neck to the shoulders. Use your fingertips to work out points near the vertebrae cervical spine. The massage ends with light stroking movements. The procedure continues until the skin becomes slightly red. The effectiveness of stimulation is indicated by complete relaxation of the muscles of the neck and shoulders.

This type of massage will be useful to all those who have to spend a significant part of their time in sitting position. Stimulation of the area increases blood flow from the neck and improves blood supply to the brain.

Also indications are:

impaired blood supply and vegetative-vascular dystonia, hypertension, neurasthenic manifestations, chronic fatigue, cervical osteochondrosis, sleep disturbance, chronic headaches, physical inactivity.

Impact on the cervical collar area will be useful for cervical spine injuries at the rehabilitation stage. For vision problems, manual massage of the collar area will also be useful. Poor blood supply to the brain is one of the common reasons visual impairment, fatigue, neurasthenic conditions, loss of attention and poor concentration.

Stimulation upper section spine will be useful in reducing overall tone and posture disorders, if they are not a consequence serious injuries and diseases. As aid massage of the collar area can be recommended for hormonal disorders and during menopause in women. Massage will benefit athletes and those who experience constant physical activity. Stimulation promotes better relaxation and improves sleep.

Being a therapeutic and prophylactic procedure, massage has a number of contraindications, including:

availability malignant neoplasms, any diseases in acute stage, feverish conditions, hypertension high degree, presence of wounds and damage; heart failure, diseases of a bacterial or fungal nature, inflammatory processes in the upper back.

Before starting therapy, you should consult a doctor. A massage for recovery from injury will have a slightly different focus than a regular preventative massage. The attending physician must determine the volume and nature of the impact, indicate the intensity of the load on the cervical spine.

It is better for women to refrain from massage during menstruation. Stimulating blood circulation can lead to a worsening of the condition, although cervical massage usually does not affect a woman's health during this period.

Children should be massaged with great caution and only in consultation with a doctor. The surgeon may recommend sessions for scoliosis in initial stage and other pathological conditions.

Often people are limited in intense exercise. Many people work at a computer in a sitting position, incorrectly positioned at the workplace. Over time, this leads to ailments in the spine and all kinds of deformations in its parts, especially in the cervical and spinal regions.

To solve such a problem, and sometimes completely get rid of symptoms such as headache and swelling, it is often considered effective massage cervical collar zone, which can be carried out even at home. This type of massage can be easily performed by a master who has passed special training. He just needs an accurate diagnosis.

If we consider the technique of massaging the cervical collar area at home, we can see that it is not so complicated. Initially, you will need to warm up your neck using circular movements. In this case, you can use a terry towel to rub the cervical region and back.

Further the procedure consists of four stages:

Smoothing. What includes the basic preparatory actions. It must be done carefully and smoothly, gradually moving on to the next stage. Kneading. This stage involves squeezing the skin with your fingers and lightly pinching it along with squeezing movements. Tapping. This approach is used for stagnation in tissues and fat deposits. It can also be used in preventive measures. This type of massage is performed by applying strong and quick pressure with the fingers. Such movements warm up the muscles well and promote tone. Vibromassage. It is marked by the manifestation of an immediate effect. After it, the occipital compaction noticeably decreases.

All types of massage help activate nerve endings. Applying them in order leads to achieving the desired effect. after just a couple of procedures.

It is also important to know that after the first procedures, redness of the skin may occur, painful sensations in the field of massage and even general malaise. This counts normal occurrence, so you shouldn’t stop the massage. After all problem area accumulated over the years and to remove such deposits you need to show some patience.

Of course, any massage can be used only when necessary. It is necessary to massage the cervical spine for frequent headaches, dizziness, frequent stress loads. It will help improve blood circulation to the brain, which will have a beneficial effect on autonomic system. In addition, the massage technique will help correct various curvatures in the spine and prevent manifestations of osteochondrosis and other disorders.

As for contraindications, they can be: temporary, local and absolute.

the appearance of acute febrile conditions and inflammatory foci; the occurrence of bleeding and infectious skin lesions; manifestation of hypertensive and hypotonic disorders, cerebral disorders; emergence allergic rashes and swelling; appearance acute pain in the abdominal area, vomiting syndrome; the occurrence of heart and kidney failure.

Local contraindications are observed when:

damage to some parts of the body by fungal and viral diseases, warts, herpes, eczema formations; the presence of tumor formations in the area of the procedure; for mastopathy growths; with cystic fibrous formations in the pelvic area; varicose veins and moles in areas of massage. during menstruation and pregnancy, stones in bile ducts and kidneys.

The following are considered absolute:

the presence of malignant neoplasms; thrombotic disorders, tuberculosis lesions; availability venereal diseases and HIV infections; manifestations of osteomyelitis in acute and chronic forms; all types of heart failure and circulatory disorders; susceptibility to tissue bleeding; atherosclerotic abnormalities and cerebral vascular injuries.

Nowadays, almost anyone can learn how to perform massage. After all, not everyone can afford the services of a massage therapist. To perform this procedure at home, it is important watch video courses who will teach methods and techniques for cervical-neck massage.

To carry out the procedure, you must prepare all the necessary supplies. It is especially useful to have a chair that has a high back and a pillow so that the patient can sit comfortably. In addition, you will need a massage cream, especially for very dry skin. skin. The chair is installed so that the patient can sit comfortably for the massage. Typically, the patient's face rests against the backrest, freeing up the cervical-collar area for the procedure.

Many medical problems claims to be the "scourge" modern society". Physical inactivity can also be included in this list. Sedentary work, lack of physical activity- these are constant life companions huge number people. Problems that physical inactivity causes include, but are not limited to, frequent headaches, pain and tension in the neck and shoulder girdle, sleep disturbances, decreased performance. This is especially true for sedentary work associated with long-term stress neck muscles.

Neck massage and its beneficial effects

Certainly, best way fight against similar problems- a change in lifestyle, but not everyone can afford it. There is a much simpler way to deal with these unpleasant phenomena.
Massage of the head and collar area (even once) effectively eliminates headache, relieves the feeling of fatigue. After a course of procedures lasting at least a week, sleep is normalized and performance is significantly improved.
The benefits of neck and head massage are due to the following mechanisms:

mechanical effect on the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, relaxes them. This relieves feelings of fatigue and tension;
massage improves blood microcirculation in the cervical-collar area, which helps reduce pain in case of swelling (this is what is called “blown muscle”), or accumulation of lactic acid (after significant physical activity);
Due to the fact that the neck muscles relax, blood supply to the brain improves. It is this effect that helps eliminate headaches and normalize sleep;
impact on reflexogenic zones located in this area improves the functioning of internal organs;
all these effects ultimately improve general health, increase vitality and ability to work.

Of course, the effectiveness of a massage directly depends on the professionalism of the person performing it. You need to approach the choice of a massage therapist responsibly.
However, the massage technique is not particularly complicated. Therefore, if you can master it well, then you will have the opportunity to do massage at home.
Massage of the cervical-collar area is useful not only for adults, but also for children. As you know, about 75% of all schoolchildren suffer from poor posture, and 10% are diagnosed with scoliosis. This is not surprising, given that school desks are in no way designed to maintain normal posture.
Massage helps correct posture by relaxing the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. In addition, eliminating congestion improves memory, attention, and academic performance (of course, we're talking about not about a one-time session). It is also believed that the effect on the reflexogenic zones of the neck normalizes hormonal levels, which is especially important for adolescents.

Indications for massage of the cervical-collar area

Head and neck massage is, first of all, therapeutic massage, and like any other medical procedure, it has its own indications and contraindications.

So, here is what is considered an indication for massage of the collar area:

fatigue, muscle tension in the neck and shoulder girdle due to long stay in a sitting position ( sedentary work, studies);
painful sensations in the upper back and neck, if they are purely “muscular” in nature and not associated with inflammatory processes;
cervical osteochondrosis;
injuries to the neck and cervical spine (not in acute period!);
sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity;
sleep disturbances, decreased overall tone, decreased level of performance.

Children also have their own indications:

postural disorders, scoliosis in the initial stage;
vegetative-vascular dystonia ( beneficial effect here associated with the impact on reflexogenic zones);
violations hormonal levels(as an aid).

Of course, such a massage can be prescribed not only in the above cases. By and large, if you feel an urgent need to massage the collar area, then no one has the right to refuse you. Of course, if you have no contraindications to this procedure. Read more about contraindications.

Contraindications

The neck area is the concentration of many vital structures; massage affects them and, importantly, the brain. That is why, if there are contraindications to massage, you should never resort to it.
Contraindications to neck massage include the following diseases and conditions:

hypertension with high numbers blood pressure;
decompensated heart failure;
injuries in the neck area during the acute period, wounds;
inflammatory processes in the neck, head, upper back;
infectious diseases of bacterial and fungal origin;
general infectious disease in the acute period;
instability of the cervical spine (can lead to sharp deterioration states);
neoplasms in the cervical-collar area;
the presence of malignant neoplasms in stage 4.

The collar zone is the back surface of the neck, chest up to level 4 thoracic vertebra and the anterior surface of the chest to the level of the 2nd rib. Irritation of the skin receptors in this area causes a reaction of the cervical and autonomic apparatus, has a regulating, normalizing effect on the most important organs and systems located within spinal cord.

Massage of the cervical-collar area is used for:

diseases of the cardiovascular system,
coronary heart disease,
hypertension,
atherosclerosis,
diseases nervous system, neurotic conditions,
consequences of strokes,
cerebral atherosclerosis,
cervicothoracic osteochondrosis,
headache, insomnia,
chronic nonspecific lung diseases, emphysema, bronchial asthma,
ARVI,
gastrointestinal diseases,
chronic gastritis, colitis,
climacteric disorders,
acne,
temporary hair loss, scleroderma,
for diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system.

Stroking

Planar surface– an easy, gentle technique that requires maximum relaxation of the patient’s muscles. The palm glides easily, lightly touching the skin. This technique begins and ends the massage procedure. It is performed both along the lymph flow and against it.

Planar deep– a more intensive method to influence the receptors of muscles, tendons, and blood vessels. The hand rests on the radial edge. To reduce the force of impact, it can rely on the elbow.

Embracing continuous– a deep effect that enhances the flow of blood and lymph. The hand and fingers take the shape of a groove, freely relaxed thumb as much as possible set aside and opposed to the rest.

Separately-sequential– when one hand finishes, the other begins after it.

Trituration

Pincer-shaped- produced by the end phalanges of the 1-3rd or 1-5th fingers when massaging small muscle groups (grasping fingers like forceps).

Comb-shaped- produced bony protrusions average interphalangeal joints(brushes are gathered into a fist).

Sawing- produced by the ulnar edges of the hands, the palmar surfaces of which are facing each other. The palms are at a distance of 1-3 cm from each other and move in opposite directions. A roll of massaged tissue is formed between the palms.

Hatching- produced by the pads of the 2-4th or 2-5th straightened fingers, which are at an angle of 30 degrees to the working (massaged) surface. The fingers make reciprocating movements longitudinally or transversely.

Spiral rubbing - carried out in a spiral, circular- in a circle.

Kneading

Transverse– the muscle is tightly grasped by the palms and fingers of both hands, located in relation to one another at an angle of 45-50 degrees, so that the first fingers are on one side and the rest on the other. In this case, the brushes are installed in a diagonal position with respect to the longitudinal axis. The first and second fingers are almost touching. The muscle is pulled upward with both hands, squeezed and pressed with one hand towards you, with the other hand - away from you. Then, without moving your hands, the same movements are made in the opposite direction. The hands move slowly over the entire muscle.

Longitudinal— straightened fingers with the 1st finger abducted are placed on the massaged area so that the 1st finger is on one side of the muscle, the rest are on the other. Then the muscle is lifted, pulling it away from the bone, and with progressive pressing movements it is kneaded longitudinally towards the center. The brush should “stick” to the tissue, without any air gaps. In the first phase, the fingers lift the muscle, pressing on it towards the first finger, in the second phase the 1st finger rushes towards the others.

Pincer-shaped– performed longitudinally and transversely. With the transverse, the muscle is grabbed pincer-like with the fingers of both hands at a distance of 1-2 cm, pulled upward and kneaded by moving the hands alternately away from you and towards you. With longitudinal, the muscle is grabbed with the fingers of one hand, pulled upward and, as it were, passed between the fingers, making semicircular movements.

shift– the muscle is grasped with the fingers and, with short rhythmic movements, moves from the bone bed in the longitudinal and transverse directions. For example, when moving from bottom to top, the first fingers are at the bottom and slide continuously over the skin, the remaining fingers (from above) make small, quick “sorting” movements.

Vibration

Puncturing– performed with the pads of 2-3 or 1-5 fingers. The finger strokes follow in sequence, as when typing on a keyboard.

Effleurage- produced by the palmar surfaces of the 2-5th straightened fingers, alternately, as when striking the keys.

Pat– performed with palms with slightly bent fingers, which at the moment of impact ensures the formation of an air cushion between the palm and the massaged surface.

Quilting– represents tangential blows with one or more fingers.

Neck massage: video lesson

The patient’s starting position is sitting at a table, with emphasis on the forearms of the hands, the head is lowered down, the muscles of the neck and back are completely relaxed. The masseur is located behind.

The massage begins with stroking along the flow of lymph, movements go to the armpits, 8-12 times on each side. In the neck area, stroking is done from top to bottom.
Longitudinal rubbing with fingertips from bottom to top, gradually moving away from the spine to the outer border of the massaged area and returning to the spine. The technique is performed similarly on both sides of the spine for 10-20 seconds, ending with stroking 2-3 times.
Longitudinal rubbing of the palms with the ribs along the same trajectory, also ending with stroking. The reception takes 10-20 seconds.
Combined longitudinal rubbing: one hand works with the edge of the palm, the other with the pads of the fingers. The pace can be quickened a little. The reception takes 10-20 seconds.
Spiral kneading with the fingertips along the trapezius muscle bundles, grasping it top part and returning back to starting position. The reception takes 30-60 seconds.
Spiral kneading with the fingertips along the paravertebral muscles, from bottom to top, then from top to bottom. The reception takes 30-60 seconds.
Spiral kneading of the supraspinatus fossa with fingertips. The reception is performed for 30-60 seconds on each side.
Vibration - shaking from top to bottom for 5-10 seconds, then puncturing. Tapping, chopping, patting and tapping in the collar area alternate with puncturing on the back of the neck.
The massage ends with light superficial stroking.

The age of people suffering from aching, debilitating pain in the head, neck, and shoulders has become significantly “younger” due to sedentary lifestyle the lives of not only the older generation, but also schoolchildren.

Scoliosis, osteochondrosis, myositis, hypertension deprive full life, while the intensity of the symptoms increases if you do not massage the cervical spine twice a year.

Where are the sources of the disease of the century

More than 100 years ago, doctors discovered a connection between pain in the head and neck and inflammatory processes in the spine and called this disease “osteochondrosis.” With this diagnosis, complex damage occurs to both the vertebrae, discs, and nerves, vessels, and veins passing through the area of inflammation.

By their nature, the vertebrae in the cervical spine are mobile, and for their healthy functioning it is necessary good exchange substances. Neck injuries, infections, and poor posture have affected the cervical vertebrae before, but this was not a widespread phenomenon.

Spinal degeneration is promoted by sedentary work, and with the advent of computers in our lives, osteochondrosis has become the “plague” of the 21st century.

What problems does cervical spine massage combat?

In the neck area there are muscles that are responsible for the condition of the shoulders, veins, tendons, and vessels of the head. Any damage or inflammation of one of these components may cause:

Persistent redness skin;

Loss of sensation in the hands;

Pain in the heart;

Swelling;

Headaches;

A sharp jump pressure;

Noise in the head;

Sudden vomiting and dizziness.

Massage of the cervical-collar area is often the only “lifeline” in a certain situation with additional drug treatment, used for acute pain.

With intensive development of the spine of the neck, pain is reduced by relieving tension in the muscles and releasing intervertebral discs, improve blood circulation, enhance lymph outflow.

Basic rules for massage of the cervical-collar area

Performing any manipulations at home involves creating a feeling of comfort for the patient. When massaging the cervical spine, techniques that cause pain are prohibited.

All movements should be pleasant, soft, they are carried out in the direction of the movement of the lymph, without affecting the lymph nodes. First, all techniques are performed on the collar area and shoulder joints, and then we move on to direct neck massage.

Let's get acquainted with the basic massage techniques

1. Massage of the cervical-collar area begins and ends stroking with open palms or the elbow edge of both hands. At the same time, the neuromuscular system is strengthened and lymph exchange improves.

Stroking can be done either straight, circular or in a spiral. You should start taking it gently at first, followed by intensifying actions.

Good result In preparing the body for kneading, pincer-like stroking also helps. Between the thumb and index finger of both hands we grab the muscle and stroke it. We perform each exercise 15–20 times.

2. Trituration promotes better blood supply each cell, the body temperature at the massage site rises, tissue trophism improves, the skin becomes pliable for further treatment.

Pincer-like rubbing is performed in the same way as stroking, but with more force.

It is more convenient to rub both the neck and collar area using a grasping motion. We place the palms of both hands on the surface to be grasped so that four fingers are on one side and the thumb is on the other and move, one hand goes down, the other goes up and vice versa.

You can finish this technique by rubbing the base of your palm in a straight line, folding your fingers into a fist.

3. When kneading special attention We focus on painful areas and seals, trying to work them out more thoroughly, but without causing acute pain. The intensity of the impact should be increased with each session.

– We start with a softer impact, by moving the muscle roller between the index fingers while grasping the position of both hands. Rotating your hands up and down, we move the roller.

– We grab the muscle like a forceps and move along it, kneading each point with our thumb and forefinger.

– Place your fingers 4 to 1, with emphasis on the thumb. We make deep circular movements with 4 fingers clockwise, 3 times at one point, slowly moving across the entire surface to be massaged.

4. Mechanical vibrations in tissues caused by vibration help reduce pain.

Tapping the collar area is performed with the elbow edge of both hands or by patting with open palms, but on the neck this technique is best done with a “finger shower”, during which the fingers quickly and gently tap, imitating raindrops.

The entire set of exercises is performed sitting, with your hands under your forehead, or lying on your stomach. The area of the body to be massaged should be lubricated with any massage cream or vegetable oil for better hand glide.

– We begin the massage of the cervical-collar area by performing all the techniques in the interscapular area.

We carry out stroking from the spine to the shoulders, from bottom to top, with open palms, then move on to stroking with phalanges of fingers bent into a fist.

We begin rubbing with intensive movement of open palms along the same lines, then we do “shading”, in which we connect four fingers together, place them on the pads and try to shade the surface being massaged.

We place our hands on the ulnar edge of the palm, which we press one against the other, begin to move them back and forth, intensely pressing on the skin, and do “sawing.”

Finish rubbing superficial stroking.

To knead, we use the 4 to 1 exercise, deeply working out each part of the body, paying special attention to the area around the shoulder blades.

We finish working on the interscapular area “ rolling m". To do this, grab a roll of leather between the large and index fingers at the base of the massaged area and roll it over. Little finger, ring finger and middle fingers“run” from bottom to top, moving the captured area of skin.

We do stroking and light patting with the whole palm from bottom to top.

– Let’s move on to the collar area. A sedentary lifestyle, stooping, constantly lowered head lead to “hardening” of the muscles, which as a result block the vital activity of veins, vessels, and tendons. The first sessions should be carried out without much pressure, devoting more time to stroking and rubbing; kneading techniques should be performed gently, 3 times.

Let's mentally draw 3 - 4 parallel lines along the entire zone and perform each technique along them.

We do massage of the collar area pinching and grasping movements, as well as a 4 to 1 technique, from the neck to the shoulders.

We finish the massage of this part of the neck with a light treatment of the shoulder joints, performing each technique 3 times.

– All massage techniques for the cervical spine are performed from top to bottom, starting and ending with stroking them.

When performing kneading, it is advisable to do the herringbone technique. We place our thumbs at a distance of 1 cm from the vertebrae and, pressing, move upward, as if drawing Christmas tree branches.

We finish the massage of the collar area with general stroking from the head to the shoulder joints.

Massage of the cervical spine for myositis

Almost every adult at least once in their life has experienced acute, aching, excruciating pain in the neck, when you can neither take a deep breath nor turn your head. Pain syndrome leads to irritability and general weakness.

Myositis occurs as a result of muscle strain or from hypothermia and draft.

Massage of the cervical-collar area for this disease spend twice a day, with a break of 6 - 8 hours.

All techniques are performed with increasing force of influence. Stroking with the fingertips smoothly transitions into working with the phalanges, and then with the entire base of the hand.

In case of myositis, we place special emphasis on rubbing, which helps warm up the muscles and more. quick recovery. You can rub it either with your fingers or with the elbow edge of your hand; we use all rubbing techniques, not forgetting the grasping movement.

Kneading for acute pain is done very carefully, gently, increasing the intensity of pressure with each session. We use all the kneading techniques described above.

A warming cream applied during kneading will help reduce the severity of pain and keep the muscles warm. After massage it is recommended cover your shoulders with something warm.

Massage of the cervical spine - the “killer” of the withers

The spherical seal in the area of the last cervical vertebra is popularly called the withers or “ widow's hump" There is still no explanation for the appearance of this neoplasm, which is not only cosmetic defect, as it resembles a hump, but also causes constant headaches, numbness in the neck and arms.

Massage of the cervical-collar area is one of effective means to prevent or reduce the growth of the withers.

When fighting the “widow’s hump,” you should be patient and massage the withers, first daily, and then every three days, constantly kneading the compaction, while simultaneously doing a massage of the cervical region twice or thrice a year.

We perform the withers massage in a sitting position, relaxing and tilting the head slightly forward and down. A good result of softening the seal during massage will be obtained by using a mixture of 1 tsp. propolis tinctures in alcohol with 30 ml camphor oil.

To increase the intensity of the effect, lubricate the area of the 7th vertebra with warming oil and rub it clockwise from top to base.

When performing self-massage of the withers, this technique is most conveniently performed with three fingers, focusing on the thumb, moving from rubbing to kneading.

For a deeper impact on the fat roller, we perform a pinch massage in a circle, from the center to the periphery.

We finish the neck massage with stroking and wrapping for at least half an hour.

The silicone miracle jar copes perfectly with fatty deposits on the neck. Vacuum massage promotes blood flow and rapid breakdown of fat.

Why is hypertension “afraid” of neck massage?

Suffering from hypertension for many years, some people do not even realize that the cause of the chronic disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

Daily neck exercises and first quarterly, and then twice a year, massage of the collar area can significantly stabilize and reduce blood pressure.

Attention! Classic massage cervical area spine for hypertension is performed from top to bottom.

Required condition When performing any type of massage for hypertension, it is necessary to measure blood pressure before and after the session.

Massage of the cervical-collar area for hypertension is guaranteed to prevent blood pressure from rising if it is completed with a head massage, which lasts 4 to 8 minutes.

In this case we perform:

Circular stroking;

Rubbing – by “shading” and in a circular motion 4 to 1;

Kneading – circular pressure and shifting;

Vibration – light finger “shower”;

Stroking - with open palms, stroke the entire surface of the head.

We do all the techniques from the forehead to the back of the head, from the crown down in all directions.

Who is prohibited from cervical spine massage?

– Massage is contraindicated not only for oncological diseases , but also in cases of suspicion of any type of neoplasm. Cancer cells due to the rush of blood, they grow rapidly and spread through the lymph flow to all organs.

- At infectious pathologies It is forbidden to massage both the cervical region and the whole body.

– Neck and spine massage cannot be performed at high temperature or hypertensive crisis.

If you have chronic diseases , the recommendations of the attending physician before undertaking a course of cervical spine massage will be valuable, especially if the procedure is carried out at home.

Massage of the cervical collar area is important from the point of view medical therapy and a service in demand by the population that allows for many positive effects to be achieved. IN modern world it is impossible to do without massage: children need it for full development, for patients - to restore functions, for healthy people - to prevent diseases.

Many people pay colossal amounts of money for a professional massage, although in the cervical and collar region it is acceptable and recommended independent work. By familiarizing yourself with a simple technique, you can learn to relieve daily fatigue, headaches, and also tone the neck area throughout the working day.

Features of the structure of the cervical-collar zone

The cervical segment of the spine consists of 7 vertebrae and has a physiological forward bend (lordosis). IN cervical vertebrae there are openings that contain important vessels and nerves. The cervical segment is not only the most mobile area of the spine, but also the most vulnerable. This is due to the small amount of surrounding muscle tissue and fragility and small size of the vertebrae. Cervical spine injuries are very common. Damage to the spinal cord in this part is especially dangerous, as it leads to a tragic ending.

Many people experience pain in the cervical-collar area, which is associated with various pathological processes: diseases of the spine, irritation of the nerves, spasms of muscles and blood vessels, etc. However, diseases in this area cause not only pain, but also the development unpleasant phenomena: dizziness, malaise, loss of balance, nausea, spots before the eyes, blurred vision and speech.

Prolonged loads of the cervical spine lead to muscle overstrain, disruption of their nutrition and blood supply, as well as a slowdown in metabolism and the initiation of processes of destruction of bone and muscle tissue. The supply of blood and oxygen to the brain decreases, and congestion develops.

You should not immediately take various medications - pathological processes can be avoided by performing massage daily.

Indications for massage

Before watching a massage of the cervical collar area on video and learning how to use it, you should familiarize yourself with the indications and contraindications of the procedure.

Massage is indicated for:

fatigue;
prolonged stress on the cervical region;
headache and discomfort in this area;
neuralgia, neurasthenia, neuritis, plexitis;
sleep disorders;
slight increase in pressure;
osteochondrosis, arthrosis, scoliosis;
rehabilitation in the post-stroke period;
sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity (inactivity);
injuries.

This type of massage is prohibited if:

decompensation of internal organs;
blood disease;
high blood pressure;
high temperature;
tumors in this area;
malignant neoplasms;
infectious diseases;
skin diseases of this area.

Massage technique

Massage of this area involves the following muscles: deltoid, trapezius, vertebral, as well as shoulder joint, shoulder girdle area and cervicocranial joint.

You can easily and simply learn the collar area massage technique on video. Basic techniques of the procedure: stroking, rubbing, kneading and vibration. Stroking is the beginning and end of the manipulation. It is done with two palms from top to bottom. The hands are placed so that they are located on the central part of the neck thumbs. Kneading is main reception massage. It can be carried out with one or two hands. The intensity of administration should be increased gradually. Kneading should not cause discomfort or pain. Rubbing is aimed at warming up the muscles, improving blood supply and metabolism. Rubbing should be done almost all the time with both hands and sometimes only with the pads of the fingers. Vibration can be performed intermittently or continuously.

The technique of massaging the cervical-collar area consists of alternating the above techniques: first stroking, then rubbing, kneading, then rubbing again, vibration and finally stroking again.

Before the session, the patient should be positioned correctly. It is not necessary to place the patient on the couch - you can sit him on a chair, but be sure to place a table and a pillow in front of him so that the forehead rests on it (or on the palms placed on it).

The entire procedure takes approximately 20 minutes. Some areas of the cervical-collar area may be the most painful, so it is always necessary to ask the patient about his well-being and sensations, and also gradually increase the intensity and load during sessions.

The cervical region is one of the most important parts of the spine because the artery that supplies the brain passes through it. That is why about treatment cervical osteochondrosis, which you can read more about, everyone needs to know. ABOUT various types Read on for spinal injuries and methods for getting rid of them.

Massage effect

Massage in general brings healing effect, increases vitality, but in addition has many positive impacts. It allows you to normalize blood flow, eliminate congestion, and improve metabolic processes.

Massage of the cervical-collar area helps relieve accumulated fatigue and tension, increase elasticity and muscle tone. With the help of massage you can increase your performance, restore normal sleep, and also prevent the occurrence of many diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Despite the fact that the technique is quite simple and can be performed without the help of a medical professional, positive effects directly depend on the professionalism of the massage therapist, therefore, when discomfort From independent practice, you should contact a specialist.

A similar procedure is prescribed not only for adults, but also for children. Thanks to massage, you can improve a child’s memory and attention, increase academic performance, relax muscles and relieve excess stress, because desks are often not designed to maintain physiological posture.