Acupuncture For
Neck & Shoulder Tension
A locked neck, tight shoulders, or tingling down the arm: we see neck and shoulder pain every week at our clinics in Waimea and Kona. Too much on your shoulders is more than a saying. Money worries, a demanding job, or simply carrying too much in your mind often shows up first in the neck and shoulders. Sometimes it's an injury, and sometimes people just wake up that way.
We start gently, treat the whole back rather than just the sore spot, and adjust every visit to how your body responded to the last one.
What We See
Two Kinds of Neck Pain
Neck pain comes in different forms, and each one needs a different touch.
The Locked Neck
The neck seizes up, and to look to the side you turn your whole body. It often comes with stress, like the circuit breaker we see in back pain, but it can also follow an injury or appear overnight with no clear cause.
When the neck is acutely inflamed, we don't go deep into the muscle. We keep the needles very light, use moxa, and find the position where you're most comfortable. The goal is to calm the inflammation and get things flowing again. This kind can take a little longer.
The Tight Neck
You can move, but the muscles are tight, sore, and tired, often from long days, screens, or stress that has settled in.
Tight muscles usually respond well to slightly more direct needling, always adjusted to your comfort and how quickly your symptoms ease.
How We Treat It
Light First, Then Listen
We start light and check in
We usually begin with a light treatment and check in the next day. How much your body released tells us how to proceed next time. Occasionally there's a little more discomfort afterward. It's usually mild and tends to pass within the day, and we plan for this from the start to keep it that way.
We treat the whole back
The muscles of the neck are really part of one long group that runs the length of the back, from the low back to the base of the skull. So even when only your neck hurts, we treat the entire back.
You stay comfortable
We treat you in whatever position is easiest, especially when the neck is locked or inflamed.
When It Spreads
Tight Shoulders
Shoulders often tighten along with the neck, and they can usually be treated more directly. Tension tends to collect in a few common spots, like the front of the shoulder and just behind it. Once those release with needles or moxa, improvement often comes quickly, usually within a few treatments. Some shoulder pain is more stubborn and takes longer.
We also treat points lower on the arm, near the elbow. Think of the shoulder as a tank of water that has become stuck. Points lower down open a place for it to drain, so blood and nerves can flow freely again.
When Nerves Get Involved
Tingling, Numbness & Nerve Pain
When the muscles of the neck and shoulders get tight enough, they can squeeze the nerves that pass through them. The nerve lights up, and you may feel sharp pain, tingling, or numbness running down the arm and into the hand.
When tight muscles are the cause, treatment often gives good results. As the muscles let go, the nerve has room again. When the pressure comes from another condition, such as stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, care is much more long term and relief tends to be more partial.
Something We See Often
Neck Pain & Dizziness
Neck pain sometimes comes with dizziness or vertigo, and we've seen this many times, often after a strain on the neck like a hard bout of coughing.
After we release the muscles of the mid and upper back, shoulders, and neck, many people find their dizziness eases, and for some it goes away completely.
Find Relief
Set Down What You're Carrying
Whether your neck has locked up or your shoulders have been tight for years, call or text either of us.
New patient? Download the intake forms (PDF)
Print them and bring them to your first visit.