Life’s demands create stress and although some stress may be good, too much can cause health problems. Most people equate stress with high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. But did you know headaches, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain can be stress-related too?
Chronic headaches, usually accompanied by extreme fatigue are almost always a sign of stress. People literally live on Tylenol and Ibuprofen for years because they constantly have a nagging headache, induced by muscle spasms from the high amount of stress in their life.
The Cause of Stress Related Headaches
Headaches can range from minor nagging pains, to full-blown migraines that knock you off your feet for a day or two. Any headache, whether tremendous pain or not, should be a warning sign you are under a lot of stress. Prolonged stress can result in muscle tension changes, making you feel stiff, achy and painful in the neck or shoulders.
Hormone production also changes with stress. Hormones also make muscles tense up, which can cause a loss of motion, pain and irritate nerves. One may feel pain in the shoulders, neck, upper back and even radiating out to the upper arms.
Most people who are under a great deal of stress complain about having neck and shoulder pain. The most intense pain usually lies directly in the back and upper sides of the neck. The pain then radiates into the shoulder area.
Real Relief
While massage helps to relieve some symptoms, physical therapy goes far beyond to evaluate and treat the root cause of your pain. Muscular tightness may have led to poor joint movement and weakness. Our expert treatments reduce pain with the added benefits of improved motion, posture correction and preventing the problem from reoccurring. Our expert physical therapists also train you in gentle therapeutic exercises to improve the physical changes from prolonged stress.
Regularly shedding your daily tensions through movement, physical therapy and physical activity can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do. Call us today to learn more about eliminating your pain and enjoying life to the fullest!
