Neck and shoulder pain? Tight or painful chest? Stressed at work? Does your pain keep returning? Breathing patterns can contribute to, or even cause, chronic muscular pain. Discover more here – and what you might do to start finding relief.
The role of the breath
The breath has many functions; it exchanges and regulates oxygen and carbon dioxide, and supports the optimal performance of the brain, organs, and tissues. It assists digestion, helps push fluids around the body, permits communication, and mobilises the spine, ribs, and shoulders.
Our breath is intimately intertwined with our body’s emotional responses and stress levels. How so? – The primary muscle of breathing is the diaphragm – this is motor-controlled by the phrenic nerve. Phren means ‘mind’ or ‘brain’ in Greek, and the phrenic nerve forms a direct connection, like an umbilical cord, between the mind and body.
What does all this have to do with my painful shoulders?
When we feel stressed at work, we have an ‘alarm bell’ in our brains called the Amygdala. The word Amygdala is Greek for ‘Almond’ – and the Amygdala is a small, almond-shaped piece of our brain that alerts us to anything that threatens our survival. However, like a smoke alarm, it can’t tell whether you’ve burnt the cooking or the house is on fire. Its job is to ring the alarm fast and automatically.
Once this alarm system is ‘set off’, it, in turn, activates a ‘sprinkler system’ of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
This stress response system is also known as the fight/flight/freeze response. It creates several physiological changes, one of which is muscular tension. Stress can manifest as neck and shoulder pain, as well as a tight, painful chest.
The fight, flight, or freeze response
The mechanisms that alert and control our stress response haven’t changed since we were hanging out in caves. They rely on the primitive survival instinct.
Let’s imagine you are sitting in your homely cave, eating a delicious dinner, and minding your own business. A Sabre-tooth tiger strolls past the mouth of the cave, and you have three choices;
- Run up and punch him on the nose (fight)
- Try to run past him and escape (flight)
- Or sit very, very still, and hope he doesn’t notice you (freeze)
Most of us have probably heard of the fight or flight responses – the heart races as the blood flows to the limbs in preparation for action. The freeze response, or breath holding, is less talked about but is especially relevant for those suffering from neck and shoulder pain or a tight, painful chest, who seek deep tissue or sports massage.
The freeze response, or ‘breath holding’
The breath-holding or freeze response happens when we feel fear, anticipation, or when we are waiting for more information before making a decision.
Imagine it’s late afternoon on a Friday. You’ve only got a couple of hours left to work before you’re due to head out for a pre-planned, romantic date. Without warning, your boss comes along, dumps a huge file on your desk, and asks for it to be dealt with before you leave.
What do you do?
- Grab your coat and run out the door? (flight)
- Stand up, and without a single word, proceed to punch them in the head? (fight)
- Or sit very still, and hope that this problem will somehow go away without devouring you? (freeze)
We might have considered hitting the boss or running away to the arms of our waiting lover, but most of us would have quickly appraised the situation and decided that we were actually looking forward to our pay cheque at the end of the month.
Breath-holding is a primitive survival instinct, and when we are under stress, physiological stress responses are automatic. When we freeze, unless we are extremely body-aware, we usually won’t notice it.
Breath-holding also occurs when we have an injury or are in physical pain and fear that further movement will worsen our pain.
So what’s happening to our body when we ‘freeze’?
1. Our breathing becomes shallow
2. Our ribs move less.
3. Our muscles become tense.
In other words, we are ‘playing dead’ – remember the Sabre-tooth tiger? If he doesn’t see us in his peripheral vision, we might survive!
Like the smoke alarm in the earlier example, the stress response does not differentiate between threats. Therefore, a sabre-tooth tiger and a demanding boss can (and do) both inspire the same biochemical reaction.
Our physiological systems are just doing their jobs – and responding, unconsciously and automatically, to the ‘threat’ they are presented with.
When this is repeated day after day in our workplace, the constant ‘threat’ can cause our muscles to stiffen and feel stiff and stuck – leading to chronic pain and dysfunction.
Typical complaints include tight, sore, or frozen shoulders, stiff necks, neck and shoulder pain, a tight/painful chest, and sore backs.
Sound familiar?
So what happens next?
If not acknowledged and dealt with adequately, stress can cause health problems, with muscle pain (including neck, chest, and shoulder pain and stiffness) often being among the first noticeable symptoms. The long-term effects of stress are well-documented; they include feeling tired and run down, frequently getting ill, muscle soreness and headaches – all warning signs that your body needs some kindly attention. Beginning your journey to wellness through breath awareness can provide insight into how much you can break free from repetitive, unhealthy cycles of stress.
How can I stop neck and shoulder pain from breath-holding?
It can be very worrying to have pain and not know what has caused it – and whether it will ever go away!
The good news is that muscular pain caused by work-related stress is usually very treatable. It is, however, essential to first determine if there are any other underlying mechanical reasons for your neck or shoulder pain, such as an old injury.
Breath-holding may cause your neck and shoulder muscles to tense in an attempt to protect the injury site. Going to a good sports and remedial massage therapist or soft tissue therapist can help get to the bottom of your pain – and help you understand it. A good sports and remedial massage therapist will refer to another specialist if they feel it needs further investigation.
We’ve written a popular article, ‘Why do my neck and shoulders hurt at work‘, which also may help you build a bigger picture of the variety of factors that contribute to neck and shoulder pain.
Breath-holding is just one feature of respiratory patterns, and breathing patterns can vary hugely between people. It can be helpful to develop an awareness of your breathing pattern with the assistance of a therapist or teacher.
Meditation or yoga, taught by a skilled instructor, can be a great starting point in developing general breathing awareness. A good manual therapist who specialises in breath/body awareness is also a perfect start. ‘One to one’ work can be very effective in fast tracking learning – whether this is Yoga, Pilates, Sports and Remedial Massage or any other type of bodywork. What is essential is the knowledge of the teacher and the working relationship you have together.
What do Massaggi Sports Massage do?
At Massaggi Massage in London, we are passionate about helping clients experience the connection between their breath and body, enabling them to discover freedom from pain and gain a deeper understanding of the often-pervasive mechanisms of the stress response.
We work with many different professions – variety is something we love! We specialise in working with people in pain. Whoever they are, and whatever they do.
At Massaggi, we always aim to put you in the driving seat – giving you a greater awareness and understanding of your body, so that you can take the steps you need, outside of the clinic, to stay pain and stress-free.
Whichever route you go, remember to let your breath be your friend. It’s always there for you. Make friends with it – get to know it!
Please note that this article is for general information purposes only. If you are suffering from a medical condition, a diagnosis should be carried out by your Doctor or a medical professional. Massaggi are not liable for the content of any external websites.
