3 Neck Muscles You Never Knew Existed, Part 2

Drum roll pleeeeease! Today we will be talking about...

The Scalenes

I have to admit...you may have heard of this muscle. I recently read an article where they talk about scalene 'hype'. The scalenes are big news in the allied health community. Here I am feeding into it. However, I believe the awareness and the beneficial effects of releasing trigger points in the scalenes is worth the risk of superhype.

This muscle is a group of three little ropy musketeers on either side of the neck that like to cuddle up between the SCM (remember the SCM!?) and the trapezius.

First, check out the red pain referral patterns above. Have you ever experienced any of these? Tight scalenes can cause a numb fingers and hands because they interact with a cluster of nerves in the neck. I see a lot of office workers and cosmetology (hair stylists, nail techs) clients with tight scalenes. Any behavior where you are consistently having a forward head posture is going to be contracting the scalenes and making them tight.

Okay, so what can you do about them?

First, awareness. You're reading this article...congrats! Check.

Second, self massage and stretching to help relax the muscle. I've included a video to help you to start finding these little buggers in your neck.

Go gentle at first! You have a lot of nerves and arteries in this same area. Plus, the scalenes can be very angry and you will definitely feel them with just a little bit of pressure once you find the muscle.

Once you're able to start recognizing and self-massaging the scalenes, take some deep breaths. You can hold the pressure as you breath in and out. You should be able to feel the scalenes contracting with each breath.

Finally, after warming the muscles up with some self-massage. Gently try the stretch below. Remember to keep your shoulder down and jaw relaxed.