Effective Stretch For The Splenius Capitus Muscle | STOP Neck Pain, Headaches, Eye Pain
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ย. 2024
- Splenius cervicis and splenius capitis are two muscles that are related to cervical pain (neck pain and headache, stiff neck, or eyes pain). They are involved in neck rotation and neck extension. This pain is often found in office workers, in particular due to wrong posture and bad ergonomics at the desk.
In this video, we review the evidence on the causes of neck pain, the symptoms, and what to do in terms of posture correction, of ergonomics at the office and in terms of muscle relaxation exercises.
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Pain in the back, shoulder, arms or any other musculoskeletal pain should not govern your life.
A lot of the pain you feel is caused or aggravated by wrong posture, poor ergonomics and a lack of specific exercises for your muscles and joints. Giving you the tools to resolve these issues is the reason why I created this self care channel.
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oliviergirard....
Very helpful video. Now I know the cause of my aches. Thank you for this!
Great info. Thanks for explaining it so good.
You're most welcome Nick... and congrats for your great chanel! I have a lot to learn from you too😅!
I have this pain. I am a fine artist and I do drawings looking down - leaning on my forearms for wrist control and also to get closer to the canvas to see the fine details.
Yep, I see... one thing you could try is a tilted table (like architects) because it reduces neck flexion. The next step is organisational (i.e., how long you can work like this per day and how frequently you should take breaks; see this video: th-cam.com/video/1x2Rdh2p3K0/w-d-xo.html), and the last one is behavioral (posture correction in all daily life activities and doing frequent exercises to compensate for the effects of your sub-optimal posture when drawing). Makes sense?
Why would I need to stretch it though? Stretching a tight - and consequently weak - muscle defeats the purpose and makes it even weaker, since it is tight in the first place due to weakness. If I am wrong please correct me. Question: should we stretch first, apply heat and then use strengthening machines? Example: 4-way neck machine, cervical rotation machine, cervical extension machine (Med-X only). Would this also help correct a military neck? (We assume in all this that there are no osteophytes or serious hernias etc). Thank you in advance for any response.
Wow this is brilliant. I did it very gently and felt relief in the suboccipital region, which is an area I struggle with. I'll be checking more of your vids:)
thanks for the feedback!!!
I'm having a 4/10 neck pain at the C7 level, on the left side of it. It pretty much only happens when i'm sitting. It's a dull and deep pain, sometimes it burns and sometimes I feel pains in my eyes, but they don't occur during neck movements. Cracking it relieves for a while but 1/2 hours later and I feel like popping it again. I also feel some pain/burning between my left scapula and the spine, near T1. The pain isn't unbearable, but it's definitely annoying.
Do you think this is caused by tight splenius or other muscles, or anything else? I sit down at work a lot and had poor posture for a long time, but I'm working on fixing my posture.
Nobody answered your question but yes that’s how it works. I suffer from same problem. The pains are not too severe but the throbbing sensation inside the head that makes you want to crack it after again is so stressful 😢. I have had a lot this past days with my back head headache and my neck. I went for a massage at a chiropractor and he did a very good job but yet I still feel the headache. I’m taking Amvigral a migraine medicine also paracetamol 500mg. I think I’ll try ibuprofen
HI! Thank you! I am working with two screens at the same time without knowing that this choice could cause me muscle aching. I have been suffering from shoulder-neck-eye aching for a couple of days. With only two reps of your two-finger muscle stretching tricks, the aching is relieved! Yay!
Well done!! On double screens, I have a specific video here: th-cam.com/video/j4W0B7ojF7Q/w-d-xo.html
@@OlivierGirard I had that pain now reduced but see slightly double after having this problem please can you help me with that if possible 🙏
once again very helpful, thanks my man!
Such a great video. I've been looking up to the right from tennis (serving) as well as on the couch my head is often rotated on the pillow. I don't have pain - I have some annoying tingling around my eyebrows/ear initially it felt like numbness or swelling but it isn't. When I did this stretch this morning leaning over on a chair I feel the pull right down into my left back area.
Great! Maybe you want to have a look at this one too: th-cam.com/video/eydISQZ194Q/w-d-xo.html 😉
This was freaking useful. Thank you thank you. I have been struggling with a severe right pain/tenderness on the right side of my neck and never knew the muscles back there and that this may have been my problem. I always thought it was a never pain, so we even did some hand/muscle conduction tests that, in hindsight, now seem so useless since the pain doesn't seem to be nerve related but more so muscle. I hope i got this right. Thanks so much for the help. Will keep applying pressure and stretching (and i know my posture at the desk worsened this). Thank you!
I have an inflammation in my right side of splenius capitis at the base of skull.What should i do?
Thank you so much for these videos. I am a desk worker and have suffered from tension headaches for years. Your explanations and suggestions are helping me to improve and understand the source of my pain. Thank you!
my pleasure, Grant! Have you watched my video on forward head posture: th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html Understanding this is crucial for you...
Thanks Olivier, I'll check it out!
Did splenius stretching help your headaches?
I swear I suffered from this pain so many times, this video right here made me realise a lot of my mistakes and stretch was really good.
I just have one question, once I get the pain in that muscle, is it normal to have a distorted vision with some patches while the pain is in the eye and muscle?
Maybe, but in that case its more about suboccipital muscles
Yes
This stretch has helped me a lot, will this get rid of pressure in my ear if I keep it doing it? Thanks!
The stretch may help, but it might not be enough: if you keep putting oil on the fire (e.g. because of forward head posture), it will keep being a problem... but I published the solution for you: th-cam.com/video/9a5wkLnd54I/w-d-xo.html ;)
Will this effect the scm or vice verca?
Thankyou! You explain so well! Your words make complete sense!
Thank you Denise!!
Such a great video. I like how you presented your information, calm, collected and assuring 👍🏻
I was a stomach sleeper for 40 years. I probably injured my right side neck muscles, including the Splenius Capitis, due to rotating my head to the left during sleep. If someone's cause of headaches and neck pain is stomach sleeping, is the Splenius Capitis stretched? Are those exercises useful for this situation?
Well, the exercise can be... but what's most useful is to reeducate your sleeping position. Here, I explain how: th-cam.com/video/qY27BwSQdwI/w-d-xo.html . What I also think is that your scalene muscles aren't too happy either: th-cam.com/video/nzY_zHLNV6k/w-d-xo.html
Hello Oliver...great videos...In this video are we resisting against the fingers(ie the fingers are holding down but are we pushing up against the fingers to stretch the muscle?)
Hey Roger... you can do this push against the finger when inhaling, and then let go when you exhale. Max 3 breathing cycles. This is called post-isometric relaxation: th-cam.com/video/kWmfSCSP4pA/w-d-xo.html. And then, let go 😄
I had that pain now reduced but see slightly double after having this problem please can you help me with that if possible 🙏
How long does the double vision last for?
Hey! I've suffered from burning scalp pain for three years now. It's the top of my head that hurts when I touch it or move my hair. I'm so tired of the pain and I just want to fix it. Do you know what the problem is and will just this exercise in the video help me?
Hey Ana! There are 2 good candidates for your pain: www.triggerpoints.net/symptom/vertex-pain. I would
- try the exercises for both (splenius in this video, and SCM in that one: th-cam.com/video/eydISQZ194Q/w-d-xo.html)
- watch this video on forward head posture to see if it rings a bell: th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html
Let me know!!
@@OlivierGirard Hey again :) so you've been very helpful with the info!! I must admit I didn't do the exercises because of a lot of work i needed to do for school and college but I started doing them for a few days now. Right now my scalp hurt REALLY BAD and I was just wondering, what do you think for how long will i have to do the exercises to see some results and how certain are you that these exercises are the solution to my problem? I know you can't be certain since this is all through texts only, but i'm still curious. Also, do you think that this pain (and it hurts even more if i put my hair in a ponytail) will cause my hair to fall out? I'm just so tired of this and as i'm writing this it hurts so bad when i'm not even touching it (but it's nothing like a headache, it's the kind of pain like when you bruise yourself or something like that). I've had this for so long that i lost hope and feel like nothing can help me :(
@@anastrljic6589 Hey dear! You nailed it... predicting recovery time would make me a zillionaire if I could do that! It depends not only on the corrective exercises that you do, but also on how quickly you progress through fixing the causes (in your case, in part. forward head posture), and of course on your own medical history and physiology. Hence, my best advice is (even if it's complex): forget the outcome, and focus on the process. Focus on improving your habits (I'm here to help if you need), and taking breaks twice per hour and doing the upper body reset at least 10 times a day (th-cam.com/video/LdDnb3Miwss/w-d-xo.html), and just do what you best self can do... time will bring answers.
@@anastrljic6589 omygod. We're the exact the same. We have exact definition of headache. I feel it on the top of my head, nonstop. It doesn't feel like headache but like a weird pain , a weird heaviness and pressure. I sometimes thought its moving together with my breathing
@@anastrljic6589 im having this for 1 year now. How are you?
Bad posture caused these muscles to turn into solid rocks which caused one hell of a brain fog and several diopters of astigmatism for me. Better not underestimate such chain reaction of human body
Did you get relief? I have debilitating brain fog and 99% sure it’s from these muscles… I got blurry vision. Dizzy. The pain. Headaches. Been cleared by every doctor. Starting dry needling in this area soon too though
@@mykwalton just started trying different solutions for specifically this muscle spasm, too much waiting is involved, but keep looking too. Also these muscles are sometimes too long for stretching to work, seems to be the case for me
@@mykwalton I’m in same boat
@@LiamFurlong96 I’ve been told it’s probably TMJ for me causing strain on all the other muscles. I don’t really have a ton of jaw pain but after a CT- I saw that my jaw is badly damaged. I guess everything is just referring and causing strain on all my neck muscles. I hope you get relief
Have you any experience with a rash and headache at the side of the eye? Seems to be splenius crevices problem??
There are 2 questions in your question ;) :
- which muscle is it? Rash sounds like splenius cervicis indeed, and pain on the side of the eye could be upper trapezius (th-cam.com/video/WFrrsaaJhZ4/w-d-xo.html) or sternocleidomastoid (th-cam.com/video/eydISQZ194Q/w-d-xo.html)
- which habit is it? And this sounds quite clearly like forward head posture: th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html
@@OlivierGirard thanks you. The rash I can confirm is most probably the splenius muscles. I’ve done some testing. I’d say the SCM is also involved as it is the splenius capitis antagonist. There is chronic tightness at the back of the neck and anything that involves continual rotation such as swimming it will get irritated. These are causing terrible headaches and when I squeeze the splenius capitis it hurts, massage seems to not do much so I need to strengthen/rehab get that head back and get those muscles working properly again. Thanks 🙏🏼
Hey doctor
i hope that you can help me and finish this pain
my mum feels pain close to her eyes to like her base of nick
i asked alot of doctor and every doctor say a Different speech
you dont know how much that means for me....
if u want any more informations just ask me
pls im waiting you are answer
Hey mate. Ask your mom if she recognizes this pain: www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/trapezius, or this one: www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/sternocleidomastoid. Let me know what she says, and more about her (in part. her job, if she felt this following an accident, if she feels the pain during or after specific activities)!
@@OlivierGirard also she did MRI And in the result everything was normal
@@OlivierGirard hey doctor i wanted to tell i answerd you twice i dont know if you get them both. but i really want you to tell me what can i do to make her better.
sorry if im being annoy for you .
@@pro_xx_2236 Hey mate! I only got your second answer. I guess the first one was the most important one. You can also send me a mail: ogirard@trainyourposture.com
Can.you show another one....this muscle is tricky.
Have you seen this one: th-cam.com/video/WFrrsaaJhZ4/w-d-xo.html ? If you look for the right head position, you can find a stretch that also relieves this muscle...
Thank you so much! This really works wonders
Excellent :) !!
Hey really nice video you explained the reason for pain very clearly absolutely worth a sub but I have question. How long should I hold the stretch and for how many reps per day?
Hey Anish! The stretch should be held for 40 - 60 sec. Actually, you'll feel that the muscle loosens up at some point (provided that you don't cause any pain while stretching!!); keep it for approx. 15-20 sec. after this moment. Reg. reps, my usual answer is that if you need to consistently stretch more than twice a day, it means that you have a wrong habit to fix, and this should be your focus :)
@@OlivierGirard thanks it worked out the pain went away and I don't have the headache anymore. Thank you very much ❤️
@@aniiishftw Excellent!! Well done :)
Great Video Sir , i have some severe condition . After cervical i have Constant pressure behind eyes , its like eyes dont ever want to relax, also sone sensation in nose , all these things on right side , and this thing dont let me sleep , its like brain not going into sleep. Cant feel heat or cold winds on right side of face .sometimes a sudden jerk comes from inside nose and eye and all pain goes away ,but it comes back after some time also pressure comes back whenver i hear any kind of sound .I am in 24/7 pain .Got botox injected at Occipital area of head , it was good for 2-3 weeks but agiain same . A constant pressure which never goes away no matter what i do . I also got Nose Operation for Deviated Septum but no cure .Suffering from 5 years
Thank you mate! Your question is a complex one. Furthermore, the interventions that you underwent make the analysis more complicated than if you never had been through anything. So this is typically one where I walk on ice... my initial thoughts would be to say: well, let's fight every source of forward head posture, because this is the Mother of all chronic neck pains and headaches, and see where this leads you. No guarantee that things will be 100% OK, but I'm sure you could still draw benefits therefrom. Have a look at this video to see if it rings a bell: th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html
Can neck muscles causes Tinnitus?
They can be the indirect cause thereof: the masseter muscle is a typical source of tinnitus, and pain in that muscle is typically caused by forward head posture
Sir, if I move my right eye upward to left corner it pains in that corner pls help, what is it.
I cannot thank you enough! You got a like from me.
I think I have a different problem and I can’t find it online at all. I have a pain underneath my shoulder blade connecting to the right side of my upper spine. The stress of this increases massively when I look down and a little to the side. This strain affects my right eye quite a bit. It’s as if it’s completely connected right behind my eye socket. Is this similar ? Thanks 🙏
Hey Aidan,
I'm not sure that what you describe is one problem only... could be the superposition of 2 problems:
- the shoulder blade pain could e.g. be www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/levator-scapulae or www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/scalene
- I wouldn't be surprised if the eye pain would be www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/sternocleidomastoid.
But browse a bit through the pain patterns after choosing the painful areas in the map tab on triggerpoints.net, and let me know if you recognize any! The next step will be to connect this to things you do wrong ;)
@@OlivierGirard yes of course! I really appreciate this so much ! Earned a sub and will be pointing friends and family to your channel from now on !
@@aidancooney1834 Thank you!!!
Is stretching wise? Elongated capitis muscles are dangerous. Wouldn’t strengthening the muscles that stretched and overloaded like the thoracic, hip flexors etc?
From experience stretching made me worse. Feels great doing it.
Hi Robert. There’s truth in what you say: stretching muscles should only be done in shortened muscles. This is for example why I didn’t recommend stretching the rocks rhomboids (th-cam.com/video/82NQ7PQsqPY/w-d-xo.html). For splenius, elongation is not the common overuse pattern, but if you have any good reason to believe that is your case, focus on their antagonist / those that spare them some load. The lower trapezius, for example.
@@OlivierGirard ok
I have a odd slipping facet joint (clunking) and I always get the majority of PT wanting to stretch things.
IDK what I need done, but it's annoying
@@RobertLongM has anyone looked into the perpetuating factors of your pain? In other words, the factors that put oil on the fire, especially from a posture point of view?
@@OlivierGirard mine isn't pain
It's clunking at the joint, crunching noises on motion (rt side mainly)...but the symptoms are head tightness, Brain tightness, fog, eyes tight...
@@RobertLongM you're right. By pain, I meant rather symptoms. With such a collection, my first reaction is to work on forward head posture (th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html). What's your job, if I may?
Such a great video! I hope this helps me
So do I, dear!!
thank you so much sir!
it's a great pleasure, dear! I'm glad I could help :) !!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it, Denise!
is it possible to do it laying down? cause my neck is so instabile...I was doing it on my bed and it was fine
you mean, lying down on your back?
@@OlivierGirard yes I am sorry for my english....doing this exercise was problematic for my neck
Sir I have headache my one side shoulder eye and head please suggest what I do I'm suffering from past 8 years
Hey dear... have a look at my video on the SCM muscle: th-cam.com/video/eydISQZ194Q/w-d-xo.html. Do you recognize this pain?
Hello I am getting alot of eye and head pain and they increase when I jump or run
Please please help 🙏
Hi dear,
As always, this is just an opinion: please consult your GP if my advice does not work. My impression is that jumping and running are two activities that create shocks, i.e. vertical compression of your spine. Hence, I could imagine 2 scenarios to explain the pain that you describe:
1- the shocks create compressions between the vertebrae, and muscles react to protect them. This could be the case for examples if your discs are too thin (due to hernia or whatever);
2- the shocks compress your posture as a whole: seen from the side, instead of having a spine which would be a nicely erect S shape, it is like a compressed S. This would mean that your mid-back goes round and your head goes forward when absorbing the shocks.
If it's scenario 1, my advice is to relax your upper body and decompress your spine super frequently with this exercise: th-cam.com/video/yxIkf36TRD4/w-d-xo.html. In particular, I would do this e.g., every 10 min when you run, and see if it makes a difference. But the more you do it at work and during the rest of the day, the better.
If it's scenario 2, it's probably an indicator that in daily life too, your have a round shouldered, forward head posture. I talk about it in this other video: th-cam.com/video/xujA8oIxZDo/w-d-xo.html. In this case, you need a more comprehensive approach (check my online posture programs: www.onlinepostureprograms.com).
Does it make sense, dear?
@@OlivierGirard yeah it makes sense thanku so much
And the treatment, doctor ??
The basic treatment is: improve your sitting posture (th-cam.com/video/TOd_e5iZ9tM/w-d-xo.html), in part. the lumbar support. If your pelvis is supported, you don't need your forearms. Hence, no neck extension and no pain :)
Sir, i have behind my eyes pain like 8 hr a day...what should i do..can u help me
Hey my friend... it's not easy to have an accurate diagnosis online, but my first reaction would be to tell you: watch out for forward head posture!! And luckily, I have published the full protocol to deal with this: th-cam.com/video/9a5wkLnd54I/w-d-xo.html . Let me know how it goes!!
👍 excellent
What about massage the area? Right side there is tender… not left as much. Also feel top of scalp! Spot on
Massage is OK... temporarily: it's symptomatic treatment. So pain may come back. That's why you need to fix your posture too ;)
Sir, I have headache above ear that comes & goes suddenly ..
Any help.!?
Hey Sir :) Can you check these 2 links to see if you recognize any of the pain patterns? www.triggerpoints.net/symptom/back-head-pain
www.triggerpoints.net/symptom/temporal-headache-temples
@@OlivierGirard Thanku sir. But can't understand..
Your opininion.?? Sir
@@ricks1110 see these two, dear:
www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/occipitalis
www.triggerpoints.net/muscle/temporalis
In red, they draw the pain that you feel if the muscle is painful. Does it look familiar or does the pain look different?
And what's your job, btw?
@@OlivierGirardRespeacted Sir.
Pain is above ear of left side. in most of the time.Sometimes other part of head got pain like back or right side.
Hey everyone!! If you need more info on posture correction, great ergonomics and better habits, check out the ebook that I wrote for you: www.theposturemanual.com
Might as well ask new, what the crunchy noise is? Or better to ask can a muscle make this noise? I know a joint can.
If a muscle can, what is the issue?
To be honest with you, I have no clue... but I will meet an osteopath today so I can ask her if she knows!
@@OlivierGirard
Best illustrationa I can say are:
1. Squeezing corn flakes
Or
2. Dry sand flicking through tight fibers
This is happening to me,.neck pain and eye strain..how to overcome??
If you feel eye strain, have a look at this other video on the sternocleidomastoid: th-cam.com/video/eydISQZ194Q/w-d-xo.html. If you recognize this, you should work on forward head posture, which takes some time and a bit of method, as I explain here: th-cam.com/video/hdJ1H--uQnI/w-d-xo.html
@@OlivierGirard thank you
Can u answer me? It has been six for 7 years i have a very bad stiff neck and i aslo have chronic headache that include my backhead , forehead and around eyes...... i took mri and x ray therw was no problem with my neck.... my arms and hands are weak.... even after excersice for stiff neck relief it returns to same and it is very stiff and painfull.... when i seat or even standing i cant balance my head .... and by tying my hair it will get worse and my scalp is hurt so much......... even after massage and after my neck will br more loose after some minutes .y neck get worse and very bad headache please help me im 21 years old and dental student
Hi Iana,
It isn't easy to give an instant answer to such long-standing, multi-faceted problem. But here are my preliminary thoughts:
- it's great you went through the full medical check-up: it rules out a number of issues;
- I wouldn't be surprised if what you describe would be a collection of symptoms, i.e. individual muscles being painful all at the same time;
- I'm pretty sure that stress and anxiety make it worse, especially if you can't see a way out for 6-7 years;
- with this type of problem, my first reaction would be to attack forward head posture: if the head isn't in place, it is much heavier (= difficult to balance) and all the neck muscles are strained which can result in the type of symptoms that you describe. I have another video on forward head posture: th-cam.com/video/xujA8oIxZDo/w-d-xo.html;
- your young age and your studies are 2 factors that make it even more important to work on the issue NOW: many young people have neck pain due to mobile screens, and dental assistants suffer due to awkward posture and neck flexion (I have just treated a colleague of yours with bad neck and shoulder pain).
If this analysis makes sense to you AND if you are super motivated to work on it (otherwise I'm completely useless 😅), send me a mail: ogirard@trainyourposture.com. We'll then set a time to have a chat and see what the best intervention could be.
Some times try to meet a chiropractor they seem to know better
4:18
5:09
Skip to 4:15 save your time
just stretching isn't saving your time :) ... saving your time is making sure that the pain won't reoccur, i.e. understanding what you did wrong, which is the part before ;)