Massage of the cervical-collar area: benefits, indications, principle of implementation

November 10, 2017

The convex muscle and fat formation at the junction of the neck and back (between the 6th cervical and 2nd thoracic vertebrae) is popularly called differently: widow's hump, withers on the neck, accounting withers, menopausal hump. Such an external change in the cervical spine is accompanied not only by a cosmetic defect.

Most often, widow's hump occurs in women over the age of 40, who are prone to obesity, but recently this formation on the neck can be observed in people of all ages.

Is neck pain dangerous?

The cause of neck pain is often osteochondrosis. With this disease, the intervertebral discs are gradually destroyed. Painful sensations become chronic and interfere with life.

It is not recommended to endure pain, since with osteochondrosis they do not go away on their own. Experts recommend exercises for the neck and shoulders, as well as massage, which allows you to:

Reduce inflammation;
Improve blood flow;
Relieve spasm;
Reduce pain syndrome;
Prevent pinched nerve endings.

Massage is an important component of treatment. It allows you to work the long neck extensors. Unlike medications, it has no side effects (if performed by a specialist following the techniques) and gives quick results. However, for a long-term effect, regularity is required.

But we must remember that there are different reasons for pain. Before a massage, you need to consult a doctor to make sure that there is no intervertebral hernia or subluxation of the vertebrae. Some pathologies allow the use of massage, for example, muscular-tonic syndrome, VSD, cervical scoliosis. But the presence of hernias, tumors, cysts requires additional examination.

Video from a neck massage session (cervical-collar area)

How to get rid of the “hump” on the neck

There are several treatment methods, each with their own benefits, but they are effective under certain conditions.

Even before starting treatment, it is necessary to check and correct hormonal levels. Thus, for women during menopause, hormone replacement therapy has a very good effect.

Expert comment:

“Please do not start self-medication without consulting your doctor. Only he can determine the true cause of the problem.

If the root cause is curvature of the spine in the cervical region, you need an osteopath.

If medications are used, then without stopping them, even surgical methods do not help for long, and the fatty lump on the neck will appear again.

All my advice below will only help with the fatty nature of the hump and only for those who have taken control of its root cause.”

Maxim Vasiliev, plastic surgeon.

How is massage of the cervical-collar area beneficial?

Neck pain, pinched nerves, and muscle spasms can lead to such unpleasant consequences as migraines and insomnia. To get rid of these problems, a set of measures will be required. But moderate physical exercise aimed at stretching the neck muscles together with professional massage can give good results.

The correct neck massage technique gives the following effects:

Relaxes muscles, relieves tension and spasms;
Reduces pain and stiffness in muscles;
Normalizes blood pressure;
Reduces manifestations of osteochondrosis;
Relieves stoop, straightens posture;
Normalizes the functioning of the respiratory organs;
Improves oxygen saturation of brain tissue;
Removes excess fluid, eliminates swelling in the face;
Increases performance, relieves fatigue, weakness, drowsiness during the day;
Improves mood.

Massage of the neck, shoulders, and shoulder girdles has a beneficial effect not only on the muscular, but also on the nervous and circulatory system. Your appearance will also improve: your posture will become straighter, your withers (“widow’s hump”) will disappear, and your neck will become more flexible.

You can do massage not only when osteochondrosis has made itself felt. This is an excellent prevention of various pathologies. Preventing a disease can be easier than treating it.

Due to the fact that blood circulation improves, facial skin rejuvenates. Many beauty treatments begin with relaxing and rubbing the neck area. Over time, the skin of the neck becomes very thin and flabby. Plastic surgery does not always help solve this problem. Massage allows you to increase skin turgor, prevent sagging, and eliminate a double chin. Also, with age, a fatty hump appears in the area of the 7th vertebra. With the help of massage and simple exercises you can completely get rid of it.

Indications and contraindications for massage

Massage of the cervical-collar area is a pleasant relaxing procedure. It can be carried out for prevention, simply to relax and relieve tension after a hard day, or to improve the condition of the skin. Medical indications for a massage course are:

A sedentary lifestyle, working at a computer or other type of activity that requires maintaining an uncomfortable body position for a long time (seamstress, car mechanic, etc.);
Stiffness and pain in the neck;
Chondrosis and osteochondrosis;
Appearance of withers;
Chronic headaches;
Scoliosis;
Radiculitis;
Dizziness;
Disorders of the cardiovascular system;
VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia);
Hypertension;
Cerebral circulation disorders and decreased performance.

Sometimes massage is recommended for hernias or during the recovery period after injuries, but consultation with a doctor is necessary before the procedure. Contraindications for massage of the cervical-collar area are malignant benign tumors, pregnancy, thrombosis, hypertensive crises, serious mental damage, sexually transmitted diseases, instability of the cervical vertebrae, pregnancy, aneurysms, and severe blood diseases.

Technique for massage of the cervical-collar area: types of movements

The main task of a massage therapist is to improve blood flow in the neck and relieve muscle spasms. A massage always begins with preparation. The movements will be light, stroking to warm up the skin and muscles, and then gradually intensify. Before the procedure, it is advisable to take a shower and cleanse the skin of sweat and other contaminants. The specialist must use special gels or creams, oils that will allow the hands to glide over the skin. If the client is allergic to herbal or other components, it is worth informing about this in advance.

Massage of the cervical-collar area includes several types of movements:

Stroking . The massage session begins and ends with these movements. With the help of stroking, the massage therapist relaxes the muscles and warms the skin. At this stage, you can already feel that the pain in the neck area is gradually decreasing. Strokes can be flat, superficial, deep, intermittent, or continuous, rake-like. The specialist selects their type and intensity for each client separately. It is important that the movements are quite intense, warm up well and prepare the skin and muscles for further manipulation, but they should not cause pain.
Rubbing . The movements are similar to stroking, but they are more intense, warm up the skin and muscles more, and relieve spasm and pain. Rubbing can be straight, spiral or circular. Typically, types of movements are combined to enhance the warming effect.
Kneading . This is the longest stage of the massage. The specialist begins to influence the muscles and ligaments. It grabs, lifts, and compresses tissue. There are transverse and longitudinal kneading. Such movements should not be too intense; they are performed at a slow pace and always use gel or oil. With each session, the intensity of kneading will increase.
Effleurage . These are jerky movements that increase blood flow and improve muscle contractility.

During the massage process, the specialist can also use auxiliary movements, for example, rolling or vibration. Intense vibration is especially useful when you need to increase muscle tone. After vibration, percussive techniques, light tapping with fingers or the edge of the palm are used.

The specialist must well control and regulate the pressure on the skin and muscles so that the massage is quite effective, but does not cause severe pain to the client and does not leave bruises on the skin.

Exercises to combat widow's hump

The most effective way to get rid of the withers on the back of the neck is through exercises. The main rule is regular implementation. We suggest you perform the following neck exercises several times a day:

shake your head from one side to the other, as if refusing someone;
nod diligently, as if agreeing with what was said;
movements of “condemnation” - from one shoulder to the other, as if you really do not approve of what was said.

In addition to this simple gymnastics, here are some exercises from the withers to the neck, which are designed to eliminate the growth:

Perform 10-15 tilts with your head towards one and the other shoulder, trying to reach their surface with your ear. In this case, it is important not to raise your shoulders.
Tilt your head down, trying to touch your chest the same number of times. In this case, it is better to raise your shoulders during the process.

Perform circular rotations with your head 10-12 times, making sure that the muscles do not overstrain during rotation.
Place your open palm against your forehead and apply pressure. Try not to lean your head back, counteracting with your muscles. The pressure lasts 10 seconds and is repeated 6 times.

Raise your shoulders and hold in this position for 10 seconds, relax, repeat the exercise 5 more times.
Perform arm swings 10 times. Slowly at first, then increase the speed. At an accelerated pace, 30-50 times back and forth.

Important! The exercises are most effective if the withers on the neck of women are at the initial stage of growth. If the hump has increased, it is better to first consult a doctor.

For everyone who wants to get rid of fat deposits, we suggest working out according to the method of the amazing female athlete Anna Kurkurina. Watch a video of her classes below.

Features of the procedure

The course may include 10-15 sessions every 2-3 days. If the massage is performed for medical reasons, the doctor will adjust the duration of the course depending on the patient’s well-being.

The massage procedure has several features:

Not only the professionalism of the massage therapist is important, but also a relaxing environment . Therefore, the room should have a comfortable temperature and pleasant music. Some massage therapists use incense.
The massage is carried out using oils and creams, which also have a certain effect . For example, lavender in the composition relaxes, peach oil improves skin elasticity, etc.
The duration of one session is approximately 30 minutes . For a child, the massage should last no more than 15 minutes.
The specialist is obliged to pay attention to the patient's requests and comments . The procedure should not cause severe pain or discomfort.
After finishing the massage, you need to get up very smoothly , slowly, without making sudden movements.

It is very important to contact a trusted specialist who knows how to massage a specific area and how hard to apply pressure to the skin and muscles. If the massage was done incorrectly or unprofessionally, migraines may appear or worsen, chronic diseases may worsen, or a sharp increase in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis).

Sometimes a massage therapist, in addition to oil and cream, uses additional products, for example, sea salt. It helps remove edema, reduces the manifestations of osteochondrosis, and breaks down fatty deposits. But you should not use even fine salt for people who have very thin or sensitive skin. This will lead to burning and irritation.

Also, natural honey is often used during massage if the client is not allergic to bee products. Honey improves the condition of the skin, has a good lifting effect, removes excess fluid and toxins, softens, and improves lymph flow. But in its pure form, honey is not applied to the skin; it will stick to your hands and interfere with stroking. It is heated a little to make it more liquid, and then mixed with butter or cream.

Treatment of withers with medications

Important! It is possible to treat widow's hump with medical means only in the presence of pain or complications of osteochondrosis. In this case, they will help you:

“Ibuprofen”, “Diclofenac” - drugs with anti-inflammatory effects for use externally and internally;
“Ketanov”, “Analgin” - painkillers and anesthetics;
vitamins of groups PP and B;
"Mydocalm" - antispasmodics that will help relax muscles;
"Finalgon" - irritating and warming drugs;
chondroprotectors - preventing further aggravation of the situation.

Important! Medicines will not get rid of the hump, but will only relieve the pain a little, so this therapy cannot be used in isolation.

How to massage the cervical-collar area for children?

With the help of massage, you can eliminate the consequences of birth trauma in a child, improve the formation of posture, weaken the manifestation of VSD, improve academic performance, and normalize the psycho-emotional background. It is permissible to carry out the procedure even on infants older than 2 months.

The younger the child, the more careful the movements should be . The baby should be placed on his tummy, oil or baby cream should be applied, and then gentle gentle stroking and kneading techniques should be used. All movements must be smooth. You should avoid pressing hard. The duration of the massage should be 15-25 minutes depending on the age of the child.

If this is a junior schoolchild or preschooler, in addition to massage, you can do health exercises and stretch your neck with special exercises. Together with the massage effect, charging will give a good result.

A pediatrician can prescribe a massage after examination and medical history. Parents should tell the doctor if the child has problems with sleep, appetite, academic performance, or if he complains of pain. A visual examination will reveal curvature of the spine and salt deposits in the cervical-collar area.

If the massage is carried out correctly, the child’s sleep will normalize and headaches will disappear. The course can be repeated after six months to consolidate the effect.

Traditional medicine method

Compress of salt and honey The ratio between the ingredients should be one to one. You need to mix these salt and honey, put the mixture in gauze and use it as a compress. The gauze should be placed on the vertebra where the hump has grown. You need to keep this compress for an hour, it is recommended to repeat it every other day.

Bean decoction You need to boil five tablespoons of beans, strain it, and then pour the liquid into a thermos. You should drink 200 ml of the decoction every morning and evening before meals.

Chamomile tea compress One of the simplest ways to treat a hump is to use bandages soaked in brewed chamomile tea (it is better to brew chamomile flowers rather than bagged tea). You need to apply them to the hump and leave them for an hour or two. You can apply this compress daily.

Mustard plaster You need to buy mustard plaster and apply it just below the hump. It is advisable to do this procedure no more than once a day so as not to burn the skin.

Rubbing with propolis and castor oil You need to mix 20 drops of propolis tincture in a glass with castor oil (you need a third of the glass), and then shake vigorously. The resulting mixture should be rubbed with light movements into the skin of the affected area.

Compress of milk and honey It is necessary to mix milk and honey in a ratio of 3:3. Then add one part each of pre-crushed bay leaf and grated onion. This mixture is ultimately used for a compress. A compress from a piece of cloth is applied to the fatty seal for half an hour. You can do it daily.

Tincture of honey and alcohol It is necessary to mix honey and alcohol in equal proportions (a quarter cup). Then every day you need to rub the resulting mixture during a massage. After the massage, you must immediately wrap the area of the fatty seal with a warm scarf. The procedure is carried out every day.

Golden mustache Fresh leaves of the golden mustache are lightly kneaded by hand and then applied to the withers.

Clay compress You need to take medicinal clay and make a “plate” out of it. It is wrapped in cotton cloth. It must be applied to the hump and left for an hour.

Compress of egg and olive oil You need to mix a raw egg and three tablespoons of olive oil with six percent table vinegar and turpentine (both in a third of a glass). Soak a piece of cloth or gauze with this mixture and apply it to the problem area. It is recommended to leave this compress for half an hour. It should be done no more than once every three days.