Pain from neck to shoulders and back
symptom
For the past six months, when turning his head left or right or tilting his head left or right, he has been experiencing sharp pains that run from the nape of his left neck to his shoulder and back. He was diagnosed with "stiff neck and shoulders" at an orthopedic clinic and prescribed a muscle relaxant, but the symptoms did not improve and he developed diarrhea. While searching for other solutions, a friend recommended acupuncture, and he came to the clinic.
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Visitors
Female
50's
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Period
February 2019 - March 2020
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Visit Frequency per week
1
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Number of Visits
5
Treatment and progress
When touching from the nape of the neck to the area around the shoulder blades, the left side was extremely tense. Also, possibly due to the pain, there was restriction in turning one's head to the left and tilting one's head to the left. Since there was no numbness in the arms and there was no problem with the range of motion of the shoulder joint, it was thought that the symptoms were being caused by tension in the shoulders and back, and treatment was performed with the aim of relieving tension around the shoulder blades and thoracic vertebrae. After the third treatment, although discomfort remained, the sharp, throbbing pain felt when turning one's head to the left and tilting one's head to the left and right disappeared. By the fifth treatment, the symptoms had disappeared and the range of motion of the neck had returned to normal, so treatment was discontinued. Since then, treatment has continued once a month to prevent recurrence.
Acupressure points used
Summary
The causes of symptoms from the neck to the shoulders can be ambiguous, including the cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, shoulder joints, and scapulae, so it is important to identify the cause. In this case, we thought the problem was around the thoracic vertebrae and scapulae, so we narrowed down the points to be used and carefully followed the progress, and we saw improvement.
