Simple Self-Massage for Neck Tension Relief

Life has a way of taking its toll on your neck, amiright? Whether it’s a product of sleeping in an awkward position, forward head carriage from using mobile devices, or just your everyday stress, neck tension has a tendency to come out of seemingly nowhere — and then quickly get out of hand and linger for a long time.

For some people, gentle stretching and other relaxation techniques in this area can be effective for decreasing tightness. In this post, I gave you some options for stretching that can help. But for others, the problem isn’t so much that the muscles are tight, but rather the muscles are strained and overworked. And strained muscles don’t always respond to being stretched.

Fortunately, stretching isn’t your only option to combat neck tension. There’s another choice: self-myofascial release or self-massage. And in this video, I’m sharing the two most effective self-massage techniques which are designed to give your strained and overworked muscles a little TLC — and they are surprisingly simple. For the first one, you only need your hands; for the second you’ll need two balls (lacrosse or tennis balls will work) and a yoga block.

Even if you do find that stretching works well for you but want to add another tool to your toolbox, these self-massage techniques can compliment what you’re already doing, and over time may help prevent the reoccurrence of the tension you feel here by increasing circulation and hydration to the tissues. What would be better than that?

Give these two techniques a try, let us know if they help, and share them with anyone who might benefit! –Alison