Neck pain is no fun when chronic or acute, whether you are an athlete or not. For a swimmer, it is particularly challenging to have neck pain because the neck must rotate from side to side when breathing. Freestyle swimming in and of itself can loosen tight neck muscles. However, a neck injury, such as whiplash due to a car accident, can sometimes cause pain with every rotation. In this case, the swimmer was in a car accident 3 years ago and suffered whiplash. He has had chronic pain and tightness since the accident. Left rotation and left lateral flexion is particularly limited and painful. Cervical vertebrae 4 and 5 were also painful, even with light pressure. I used electro-acupuncture on occipital, neck and upper trapezius points, followed by cupping. The treatment was finished with site specific massage and light traction. The client received three treatments, after which, he reported a significant reduction in pain with increased range of motion.
If you have chronic or acute neck pain and aren’t sure if acupuncture and cupping are appropriate for your particular situation, please feel free to call me at 727-310-4321 or book a complimentary phone consultation online with me in my practice in St. Petersburg, FL. ~Tennyson