Neck and shoulder tension has a way of sneaking up on you. One day you feel fine, and the next you realize your shoulders are practically living next to your ears and turning your head feels more difficult than it should.
Sometimes it comes from sitting at a desk all day. Sometimes it’s from driving, lifting weights, traveling, sleeping in a weird position, or spending too much time looking down at a phone. Stress can play a big role too. A lot of people don’t even realize how much tension they’re carrying until someone starts working on the area and suddenly they think, “Yep, apparently I’ve been storing my entire week right there.”
Deep tissue massage can be a good option when your neck and shoulders feel consistently tight and you want something more focused than a basic relaxation massage.
Why the neck and shoulders get so tight
Your neck and shoulders are involved in a lot more than you probably think. They help support your head, stabilize your upper body, move your arms, and handle plenty of repetitive movements throughout the day. If you spend hours sitting at a computer, driving, lifting, carrying bags, or looking down at a phone, those muscles can end up doing a lot of work without getting much of a break.
Stress can add another layer. Some people clench their jaw, some tense their stomach, and plenty of people unconsciously hike their shoulders up when they’re stressed. Do that for hours at a time and it’s not surprising when the area starts feeling stiff, heavy, or sore. You may notice tightness across the tops of your shoulders, around the shoulder blades, at the base of your neck, or even into the upper back. Sometimes turning your head feels restricted, or you find yourself constantly rolling your shoulders around trying to get them to loosen up.
How deep tissue massage can help
Deep tissue massage focuses more attention on the areas that feel tight and overworked. Instead of just gliding over the muscles, I can slow things down and spend more time working into the neck, shoulders, upper back, and areas around the shoulder blades. That doesn’t mean I’m trying to crush every knot I can find. Good deep tissue work isn’t about using as much pressure as humanly possible. It’s about using enough pressure to actually work with the tissue while still allowing you to relax.
If you’re bracing yourself, holding your breath, or gripping the table for dear life, the pressure probably isn’t helping much. Your muscles usually respond better when we can work into them gradually.
Your neck may not be the only problem
One thing that surprises a lot of clients is that the spot that feels tight isn’t always the only area that needs attention. For example, if your shoulders are constantly pulled forward from sitting at a computer, the muscles around your chest, upper back, shoulder blades, and neck may all be involved. If you’re working out regularly, certain exercises can also leave some muscles doing more than their fair share.
That’s why I usually don’t spend an entire session hammering away at one painful spot. I look at the surrounding areas too. Sometimes giving a little attention to nearby muscles makes a much bigger difference than repeatedly attacking the same knot.
The body is annoyingly connected like that.
Desk work is a big culprit
If you spend most of your day at a computer, neck and shoulder tension probably isn’t exactly breaking news. Even if your posture is pretty decent, staying in one position for hours can make muscles stiff. Add a laptop that sits too low, a phone you’re constantly looking down at, or a chair that doesn’t fit you very well, and your upper body may spend most of the day working harder than it needs to.
Massage can help with the tension that builds up, but movement during the day matters too. Getting up regularly, changing positions, moving your shoulders, and taking quick breaks from the screen can help keep things from getting quite so locked up. You don’t need a twelve step stretching routine every hour. Sometimes just standing up and moving around for a couple of minutes is a good start to loosen things up.
Exercise can cause neck and shoulder tension too
People who work out can run into the same problem for completely different reasons. Pumping iron, swimming, cycling, tennis, surfing, beach volleyball and other activities can put a lot of demand on the upper body. Sometimes it’s simply muscle fatigue from training. Other times, you may be shrugging your shoulders during exercises without realizing it or relying too much on certain muscles when you’re tired. If your upper traps seem to volunteer for every exercise whether they were invited or not, they can get pretty cranky.
Sports massage and deep tissue massage can both work well for active clients who feel tight through the neck, shoulders, and upper back. The approach depends on what you’ve been doing, where you’re feeling the tension, and how your body feels that day.
Stress shows up in the body too
You don’t need to have an intense workout routine or terrible desk posture to end up with tight shoulders. Sometimes life is enough. When you’re stressed, it’s common to tense muscles without realizing it. You may clench your jaw, tighten your neck, or keep your shoulders slightly raised for hours. By the end of the day, everything feels stiff even though you haven’t technically done anything physical.
Massage can give your body a chance to come down a notch. Deep tissue work can focus on the areas holding the most tension, while lighter techniques can help the rest of your body relax. You don’t have to choose between a productive massage and a relaxing one. A session can have a little of both.
Should deep tissue massage hurt?
You may feel some tenderness when I work on a tight area, especially around the upper traps, shoulder blades, and base of the neck. That’s pretty normal. What you shouldn’t feel is sharp, overwhelming pain. You also shouldn’t feel like you need to suffer through the pressure because you think that’s what deep tissue massage is supposed to be.
If something feels too intense, say something. I can adjust the pressure, change the angle, or spend more time gradually working into the area. The goal is to help your muscles relax, not make them worse.
What you can do between massages
Massage can help with neck and shoulder tension, but what you do the rest of the week matters too. Try changing positions more often, taking breaks from your screen, moving your shoulders throughout the day, and paying attention to whether you’re constantly tensing up.
If you’re exercising, make sure you’re giving yourself enough recovery time and not letting fatigue turn every upper body exercise into a shrug contest. Gentle stretching and mobility can also help, especially if you tend to stay in the same position for long stretches. And if something feels more like actual pain than regular tightness, especially if it’s persistent, getting worse, or causing numbness, tingling, or weakness, it’s a good idea to have it checked out by an appropriate medical professional.
Deep tissue massage in Hermosa Beach
At Superior Sports Massage by Chris O’Hara, I offer deep tissue massage from my private massage studio in Hermosa Beach. It’s just you and me during your appointment, so there’s no busy spa environment, no rotating therapists, and no people coming and going outside the treatment room.
I work with clients from Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, and throughout the South Bay who come in with neck and shoulder tension from work, workouts, sports, travel, stress, and everyday life. Some need more focused deep tissue work, some benefit from sports massage, and others need a combination of deeper work and relaxation.
If your neck and shoulders have been feeling like they’re carrying more than their fair share lately, deep tissue massage may be worth trying. You probably won’t be able to eliminate every stressful email, long commute, or bad night of sleep, but at least your shoulders don’t have to personally hold onto all of it.
Book your therapeutic massage and let’s relieve some of that tension.
