Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2024

Summer 2024 • 33

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ergonomics and the risk of prolonged engagement with handheld devices for professional and recreational activities. These behaviors compound the symptoms associated with TNS, making them increasingly prevalent, and can be a predictor of even higher incidence in the future. The challenges associated with maintaining healthy ergonomics and fostering mindfulness around work habits have and will continue to intensify. In recognizing the profound implications of these modern behaviors, the ability to provide outstanding therapeutic neck work is one of the most crucial skills that massage therapists and health care professionals can possess in their professional tool box today. The burgeoning need for comprehensive and effective massage treatments for clients experiencing both acute and recurring neck pain is unmistakable. The current global lifetime incidence of neck pain is astonishing—especially in the United States—and only seems to be on the rise as technology gets smaller and smaller and spreads further around the globe. 2

Despite the apparent urgency for insightful and deeply therapeutic neck work, many therapists find themselves with limited tools for addressing neck-related concerns. Some therapists may have reservations about working around vulnerable anatomical structures, while others may lack confidence in their understanding of neck anatomy. Consequently, the ability to provide the hands on practice required to become a proficient neck specialist is difficult to achieve. As a massage therapist, you possess the unique capacity to educate your clients about prevalent neck injuries and the whole-body imbalances that create them. By sharing knowledge on safe and beneficial ergonomics, stretches and exercises, you can play a pivotal role in correcting and alleviating pain and dysfunction. Moreover, your guidance and example can instill in your clients the long-term benefits of adopting a practice of body awareness and mindfulness during daily activities. Research suggests that the weight of the head significantly increases with each inch it is held forward or tilted. Weighing about 10–12 pounds in a neutral posture, head weight can increase to around

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