How to self-treat sternocleidomastoid muscle trigger points - trigger point release
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- Got neck pain? You may have sternocleidomastoid trigger points. For our complete guide to finding and treating trigger points that cause neck pain, go to goo.gl/L5Pzvy
This short instructional video will show you how to treat sternocleidomastoid muscle trigger points. Trigger points may be more clinically important than most health professionals realize, and muscle pain seems to be a growing problem.
To see our entire video playlist, go to • Trigger points
The sternocleidomastoid muscle, or 'SCM' for short, not only leads to neck pain, but can also cause a wide variety of other symptoms such as headaches and difficulty swallowing. That's why most of us may overlook this muscle as the major cause of our pain. You see, these trigger points, or muscle knots, can refer pain to areas away from the source of pain.
In this instructional video, you're going to learn how to use your hands to easily find the painful muscle knots that are giving you muscle pain or headaches. Simply hold the pressure for a few seconds and move to the next spot. Doing self treatments for several days should lead to pain relief. Here are a few things to remember about sternocleidomastoid trigger points:
Don't focus on only one spot when you are initiating your sternocleidomastoid trigger point release. Focus on as many spots as you can find. If the spot is tender, does it recreate your original pain complaint? If so, hold that pressure for 30 seconds to a minute only. Then move to the next spot.
Always start with self treatments before you begin a stretching or strengthening program.
If you want more information on how to find and treat your neck pain or headaches, we have comprehensive articles and videos that show you step by step on how to get muscle pain relief.
How to treat neck trigger points: goo.gl/L5Pzvy
How to treat headaches from trigger points: goo.gl/MQH03e
Also make sure you subscribe to our RUclips channel!
Next, we're going to go over the best neck stretches for trigger points at • best neck stretch for ...
I can't believe how many symptoms these damn muscles can cause.
I know!!! It's awful 😞
@@elizabethw.454 We can get through it, got my problem from sleeping in my stomach. Helps to practice posture throughout the day too
Ikr!!! 🤦🏻♀️
Ikr?!!!
Can someone tell me their symptoms
If you have an SCM trigger point, the relief you get when you actually release it is pretty life changing.
This pain makes my entire face hurt and my ears thank you so much for this video
Finally somebody who gives advise in a few minutes, hate watching a 15 min video for 1-2 minutes of info, such a waste of time, Thank you Doc!!!
As a physical therapist, I think this is a very helpful video. I would suggest adding symptoms, which can occur with SCM trigger points, including dizziness.
I been having an ear neck and too of head pressure. Also lightheaded at times.When sitting in complete silence and moving neck around I can hear almost a grinding sound in neck. I'm going to try this.
@@johnvantomey Dude same..u found any treatment
@@NafZ neck stretches and hot and cold compress.
@@johnvantomey any facial pain while dealing with this??? It’s awful been 3 months for me since starting pt following shoulder the constant ache in the area plus tightness kills. Anytime I move it feels so tight like it wants to rip.
@@tiffanyvasser535 me too!! Did you find any relief?
You have no idea how much this advice has helped me! I am a transcriptionist that has been suffering with horrible pain for years and can no longer take pain meds as its giving me stomach ulcers. You mentioned pain may be worse at the very base of the neck and that's where it kills! I can even feel the pain going through to my back shoulders. I've been trying to target the pain from the back and had NO IDEA it was probably originating from these front muscles. Can i say..I love you!!?? lol. Thank you so much for this advice as it has helped me tremendously!
Wow where the same
Excuse me. After you adviced that all of that pain was originates by the SMC, what exactly did you do to fully free of it?
True
I’ve been getting stabbing pain in my neck since I was 12 yrs old. I’m 44 still having the same pain. This video took me right to the source. Thank you!
Omg thankyou!!! I thought I was the only one my pain started at 14 and I genuinely thought I fucked up my neck for the longest and had zero fixes thank you for the hope and I hope your pains went away this pain is no joke!
Omg!! i have been suffering for over 5 years.. thank you sooo much
how are you now?
5 years omg. It’s been 3 months I can’t imagine 5 years of this pain. How are you now?
@@tiffanyvasser535 I am suffering from two years
What is your sickness/problem that is solved by this video?
Thank you! This has literally felt like it was pulling the back of my skull off.
Wow! Thank you so much. I had pain on this side of my neck for almost two weeks now. I have been prescribed Ibuprofen and muscle relaxants by my PMD with very little or no help at all. My desperation for pain relief brought me to you channel and thank God I found this video. Did this and wow! the pain relief was instant.
I experienced a motorcycle accident recently. This post was great in identifying the muscle origin and insertion. Right away I was able to palpate and relieve tension in the SCM. Thank you!
I had whiplash from an accident recently and was in a lot of pain with this muscle. Tried this technique and was surprised it actually reduced the pain and gained more movement. Thank you so much for making this video.
Thank you so much! This helped me tremendously. I've been to the chiropractor, massage therapist, primary care physician, and ENT. This helped me the MOST. I can't thank you enough.
Glad it helped Connie!
Me tooooooooo!
I have a bit of a forward neck and lack of curve in it from a wreck. I’ve had PT and chiro and massage. This is an amazing technique that literally just gave me tremendous relief. THANK YOU! 👏🏻
Wow! I cannot believe how much of a difference this made. I have been doing the "lean your head" stretch and it didn't help much for this muscle. My levator scapulae would loosen up but the headaches would not go away. This was the missing ingredient to stretching out my neck and shoulders.
Great to hear Matthew! For this area, everything works but what works for you may be different than the next person. Glad to hear this helped your specific situation.
Had pain all day and finally felt relief after watching this. Thank you!
Ar Chi
Should I pinch both sides even if only the right side is painful?
@@ArChi285I only feel the left side, but when I pushed on the other side, it ALSO hurt.
I read the comments and feel better knowing I’m not alone in my pain and symptoms ❤️
I work on both sides of the neck on these trigger points almost daily. It sometimes will bring tears to my eyes, but the relief afterwards is totally worth it. I always remember to drink a lot of water after. As I feel like it's also moving out toxicity I'm n my system
omg my eye pain went away i just gave it a try to see what happens ......thank you so much
I had dried and pinchy eyes and on n off i had pain around my eyes and head
About six months ago I have the symptoms in my eyes such like itching blurry vision and sometimes pain i cant even go outside cos my eyes are so sensitive
and it was Awful I thought the problem was with my eyes because I have headache at the same time and I want to the doctor and actually they didn’t really know what I have dealing with After months they diagnosed me I have a problems with my neck muscles in that kind of problem causing the problem in my eyes and my shoulders in my pack in my neck and my headache i think you should see a Physical therapist trust me if you had the same Symptoms as mine I recommend you to go to see a physical therapist I’m sorry my English is bad
Agghh! This is exactly what I needed! The pain was going into my ear. Thank you!
I have had swelling in front of and under my ears, especially my right ear for 4 months. I resembled a chipmunk making me very self conscious.I have been seeing an ENT, ultrasounds etc with no answers and no relief. Nobody mentioned muscle issues. I watched your videos and tried some of the stretches. The following day, the swelling was reducing and continues to reduce. You have no idea how much you have helped me. Thank you, bless you, you have really helped in many ways.
Same here is it safe to do this because it literally just happened to me
I have been having dizziness and nausea and found your video while researching my symptoms. I think this has been my problem all along! Very helpful and simple exercise. Thank you!
Glad it helped!
C Hannan but did it work, are you still dizzy?
My trigger point is right at the mastoid insertion
And my main complaint is tinnitus
I'm having trigeminal pain... but this in the neck area is making me feel better.
Holy shit, thank you. Finding new parts of my body still at 35 years old
glad it helped!
Hahaah mood!!! Same!
Literally the entire length of this muscle has incredibly painful trigger points for me. It refers to so many places: base of skull, lower back neck, under arm, pectoral area, elbows, shoulderblade.... I think I definitely found a cause of my neck/shoulder pain! I've been going to physical therapists for 8 years and none of them have ever determined this area as a potential cause even though I've told them it hurts like hell!
You should also try chin tucks, the back of your neck and front of your neck may be out of balance (also called text neck). You can also put your head to the sky with your mouth open and slowly close your mouth to stretch the front of your neck
Wow, this muscle was sore from yoga and doing this made it feel completely normal again. Thanks!
Thanks India for yoga😊
@@rajukumar-fq2ow 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@rajukumar-fq2ow Thank you India Namaste ✌🏼
omg so glad I found this video!!! Self curing myself form all of my weird symptoms it gave me. Unbelievable!!!
glad it could help!
What were your symptoms?
This was great. Thank you! I randomly wake up with my right sternocleidomastoid muscle tense and painful, and I just have to suffer for days until it works itself out. I'm so glad to have this knowledge now.
Did you experience dizziness and neck pain after massaging?
@@simounibarra1514 No, I didn't.
Really helped. I get rashes from pinched nerves in various places, but couldn't figure out how to release whatever was causing them to run along the collar bone. This did it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Just discovered these muscles after being told I have bruxism/teeth clenching at night. Hoping the techniques in your video and a night guard from the dentist does the trick!
Great video. I came her to get further info on this muscle. I just started PT for a bulging cervical disc and aside from the sharp nerve pain that occurs as a result from the right side of my neck to my right pectoral, to my armpit and down into my right pinky and ring finger, the one area that wasn't being addressed by the orthopedist was the pressure I was occasionally experiencing on my carotid artery (also on the right side) which as a result would cause me dizziness and cloudy (not blurry)vision. This became a hazard due to the fact that the "flare ups" could occur without notice at random times, which included while I was driving. Fortunately the PT specialist immediately found my sternocleidomastoid muscle to be ropey with trigger points in two locations. After 10 minutes of him massaging the muscle I could immediately feel relief and less pressure on the artery. Other symptoms which also seem to be related to this muscle is an occasional deep pain behind my ear, as well as facial pain. Those two pains I have not felt in a few weeks, but were very prevalent during the early stages of this muscle starting to hurt.
Thank you again for a great video. It's nice to finally have a path to recovery.
Glad you were able to get the sternocliedomastoid addressed!
Thank you for posting this self-massage technique! Like so many, I suffer from tightness and migraines, and this trigger-point message is a life saver. Merry Christmas!
Same its been hurting 4-5 days
My scm are very tight and also my hip flexors are tight which I have been trying my very best to heal on my own I’m so glad that today it dawned on me that I really need to pay attention to this more! I have right jaw muscle all from stress.. my revelations about my health are actually very interesting. Definitely going to try again to not drink so much coffee
Thanks, the advice you gave of how hard to massage the muscle was informative and key to avoid setbacks when trying to get back to normalcy.
Thank you the instruction with turning and pushing on your head really helped me get a better grip on the muscle.
I've come really close to taking my own life because of this pain for 7 years.. I am in a really bad way. sciatica and all sorts of eating issues and breathing issues. I am completely fed up.
How are you getting on mate, improving I hope..
Hi?
How are you doing now? That made me so sad to read. I hope you have found some relief
at first it was a bit hard getting a grip, but my goodness how did it help once i got the hang of it! thank you so so much!!!! i have been trying to reduce my neck pain for sooo long now.
Thanks mate, I've been feeling spacey lately from riding a dirt bike and thus has seemed to reduce the dizzy feeling 🙏🏾
+lyellbro1 good to hear! its amazing how common sternocleidomastoid trigger points are, and how they are often overlooked. Also make sure you start strengthening the muscles in the front of the neck. Having proper muscle activation for the 'deep flexors' makes a big change in recovering from the stresses of dirt bike riding
Just the information I needed for locating a small intestine point in acupuncture!
Thank you! Very helpful and am feeling significantly better after practicing this technique over a few days.
That muscle has caused tinnitus for me, Baseline neck and head pain shoulder pain throat pain when swallowing it is really a muscle that can cause a lot of stress on your life
Are you still experiencing tinnitus?
Thanks you c5 and c6 are killing me and this works you can feel the blood coming back up
Wow.
I slipped and fell backwards on a wet golf course and I smashed the back of my head with extreme force onto the very soft and wet grass (thank god).
I’ve had terrible whiplash for a few days now - feels like it’s sore glands from an infection.
Took me a while to find the name of the muscle but then I found your video.
A few 30 second tight squeezes on the SCM and it’s feels like 70% better.
So many thanks.
I'm 19 female. I have TMD, and my neck and back is SUPER TIGHT. My physio told me I have very limited mobility in my neck.
Your demonstration is so straightforward and exactly what I was looking for! I needed to send a video to a friend of mine who was in a car accident and got whiplash. None of the other videos came even close to being so thorough and yet direct and easy to follow. As a massage therapist, I find this very helpful! Thanks! I will share on my business FB page as well.
Glad it could help! Appreciate the feedback
Wow, this instantly eased the pain some, thank you
Amazing how this came out 8 years ago. I hope you teach everything related to massage. I want to learn more about aromas. Also becareful! With smokers they are very sensitive with the bottom of the sterno where it connects in the middle of the collar bone. Although its good to help them clear out that area
Super helpful! Thanks! I've been having visiual migraines for the past 20+ hours, found that this is the main trigger point, this video was very helpful. I'd just like to add, using a cold pack afterward to calm the muscle down helps a lot!
Thank you
Loved this
Super grateful ❤
It feels much better. Thanks a ton. Very simple yet effective.🙏
Thank you. I have been getting sore/sharp outer left ear pain, especially when i turn my head to the right and when i pull or push on my ear. I have no ear infection. I’m pretty sure this just made it go away. I will be doing this often. Thank you so much.
hi angus, that's a great question. I shot the video cause most of my patients require more self treatments than treatments with me. The key is really to turn the head so the SCM pops out. Notice how I'm not pressing on the muscle but wrapping my fingers around it as it pops out. This way, Im' usually more comfortable in getting the muscle. I've seen others press and apply a stripping massage on the muscle itself. That can in fact lead to stripping over the carotid artery also.
So one of the nuances is to find the SCM and wrap your fingers around it. Secondly, apply just enough pressure where you are recreating your symptoms. The symptoms should be gradually reducing as you do this. If not, then stop and go to another spot.
Majority of the time, you're not going to experience any adverse effects in this area. However, for anyone that is hesitant to do the technique, i always advise getting it first done by a qualified health professional. See how they treat the muscle, and then ask them to specifically show you how to do it. That would be my advice to anyone that still wants to be cautious. Hope that helps!
Hi.... Thank you so much so now i can treat myself may GOD bless you
Wizard of Health hey i got injured yesterday playing baskeball and it hit my muscle now there is a lymph node should i play again or not btw i woke up and felt a migraine headache should I get worried
I have frozen thumbs like carpal tunnel syndrome. It seems to be coming from this muscle. Thank you for showing how to relax it
Thank you for the instruction! I have a trigger point here I found 11 years ago. I had no idea to just keep pressing on it to relieve the tension.
I was getting some major relief before this video ended.
Thank you. This really helps my TMJ pain
I suffered from acute vertigo, and have been left with a residual dizziness that has only slightly improved over the course of an entire year. In the first 4 months I had strong flutters of dizziness when turning my head. Also suffer from tinnitus, eye movement issues, random short headaches, eyelid twitching and paresthesias down my arms. Been seeing a physio for 5 months and we narrowed it down to possible thoracic outlet syndrome due a combo of poor posture, sleeping position and playing sport. Last week my physio focused on my SCM after I noticed some pain in the area, and next day my dizziness had significantly improved. Only lasted a day, which shows I have a lot of work to do. Doing self massage is also giving me glimmers of relief too, so I think I finally have a solid diagnoses of SCM Syndrome. Next appointment is next week, and after a year of near depression with this it can't come soon enough!
How are you now bro
@@Zizou_Nederland Made huge progress before Christmas through regular strength training, but my neck let go again and the dizziness returned after sleeping on a sofa for a week after catching covid. I stopped the physio sessions as an online neurologist recommended a focus on strength over stretching and massage, and physio agreed. It really worked for me, for the week leading up to the reinjury I started to feel normal. Still haven't pinpointed the exact cause, but I'm like 75% sure it's longus colli tendonitis, with inflammation around the nerve roots. That was my physios thought too. Slowly building it up again now.
Are you having similar symptoms?
ooh that feels terrible, baby steps. I suffered a hefty injury. Slowly I restore.
Light sensitivity
Ringing in ears
Double vision
Pain under eye brow
Headace from forehead to back
Shoulder pain
Gas in stomach
Thank you! Has anyone got any experience of how this would release the muscle over time and reduce the swelling?
Thank you oh my God this feels so good I can't believe I didn't find you sooner!
This is a very helpful video. Thank you!
Ty so much. I was worried it could be something else due to the fact that I started to feel tingling sensations in my face. In reality it was this tender muscle. Ty again.
Same, Did you get it resolved?
@@SimpleMathematics have you recovered?
Trigeminal nerve? Theres a whole about two inches each side of the nose… just rub it in there gently on circular motion.
@@SimpleMathematics yeah. It went away after roughly a week of doing these steps. I attribute the pain to sleeping in funky angles without a pillow lol.
@@c1h9o8b0i absolutely
Wow…I’m amazed…so much relief!!!!
This gave instant relief omg ty
Absolute sickening pain !!!
Can this problem radiate to behind the eye and nasal? (Basically sinus areas)
Thank you!
What about for tinnitus?
I had eagle syndrome surgery recently on the right side and this muscle is always swollen. This surgery isn’t going to fix it just like all the other surgeries did not. My cartridge in my throat will pop over and I can keep it in place (toward the swollen muscle)and I believe it’s this muscle. I always swell and just live in extreme pain. Radiates to the back of the neck on the same side into my shoulder blade. Any ideas ?
Omg I can feel the trigger point back of my posterior neck muscles
Thank you so much Dr. this was driving me insane and it felt like I had a drillbit going out the back of my skull and into my jaw and ear.
Glad it could help!
Yessir helped me so much! You've helped me more than my own doctor has! This provided more relief for my pain than codeine and oxycodone have. And it was instant too. I have a massive knot in there, have for several years now. I think it is because I take adderall for ADHD and it causes my jaw and facial muscles to tense up a lot.
I'd tried everything, pain pills, muscle relaxers, yoga, stretching and this is the best thing so far!!
Immediately helped my shoulders
Thank you this has helped... Not sure why this has started to hurt? I suspect my pillow may be the cause.. I have switched to a more neck-neutral pillow.
Just curious, can this muscle trigger high blood pressure?.
Mine are so tight omg!! So what do we do just squeeze and breathe for a little while in a few spots?
Thank you, it helped me.
Thank you so much. I've been looking for this relieve for a while!
This whole muscle is swollen and causing pain and headaches. Is it just the lymph nodes? Thank you so much anyone who knows. Doctor didn’t see this when I went to appt but I can feel it
I feel that this part of my muscle is swelling. Im not feeling any symptoms but i can feel like it's swelling and i can feel it when i swallow. I dont think it's a lymph node but im having anxiety from googling too much.
If it's full of trigger points it can feel swollen, it's most likely just extremely tight and scrunched up. If you've actually tried to massage and release the knots, it will swell for real! Remember, you are irritating tissue. Use heat or ice and maybe some topical NSAIDS (ibuprofen, diclofenak) to get the swellimg down. It will take time. It'll often get a lot worse before it gets better.
Source: been there 🙃
Stop googling- that stuff will scare you shitless!
Have the same feeling man hopefully you’ve healed from it, stretches really help and the more you worry the worse it gets for real!
Even my right SCM feels swollen and I experience ear fullness on the same side...with stretches, it helps a bit but later, it's back to square one !!
i cant really figure out how to pinch this muscle... when i pinch i just get my neck skin and the muscle slips back into the depths of my neck
Is it possible that this can cause a pulling sensation/pain on the left side when swallowing? Been having these symptoms for 6 weeks. Usually under the left jaw but sometimes lower on the neck, only when swallowing I feel a pull /sometimes its a bit of a scratchy pain. Scaring me!
It helped me. Thank you so much
Am having tightness on right neck and throat when swallowing siliva and turning right side...when can do...pain in throat when sneezing
Thank's so much I have CMD and I think this could help.
This was so very Helpful - Thank You!!! 💕
I have cramps in neck muscle. It helps .
Great Video. Thanks as I suffer from myofascial pain and have a huge lump on the side of my neck. I am going to Physiotherapy Plus for dry needling which works great however when trying to release the sternocleidomastoid trigger point in my neck at home I have been using too much pressure. No wonder I am in such pain the neck day! God Bless you for your demonstration.
my pleasure Christina! Everyone always wants to overdo pressing into their neck trigger points because it feels so good when doing it. Just keep experimenting with less force and see how that goes. Good luck!
How are you now?
I don't know how to explain it but every day I'm experiencing this very painful hard-to-explain ,spasmic,twisted nerves sensation.
Right now it's on head and neck
This is in addiction to headache.
The only thing I'm diagnosed with is Fibromyalgia.
It's hellish.
Is this feeling under the ear/mid jawline? and is it a popping in/out kind of feeling?
I also have pain in this muscle, which gives in the head and shoulder and even in the arm, but neurologists say that this is a herniated disc c6-c7)
Great video about the sternocledomastoic muscle!
Could this problem be related to TMJ?
Absolutely it is
Absolutely! And upper trapz too
I’ve been have ear fullness, throat pain, cheek and jaw numb and tingling ... my doctor thinks it’s nerves or my trapezius muscle because it’s rockhard but I think it’s my SCM... it’s horrible pain!! No muscle relaxers are helping much either
Same. DId you figure out what's the problem? Is it better now?
are you now okay??
snap! me too
It’s strange. . . .when I did this my head felt a buzzing sensation. It wasn’t unpleasant or anything. Just unexpected. Is this normal? Great video too . . .thanks.
hi Dar, yes that's something that can happen, although it's not too common. The SCM muscle trigger points have a nickname 'amazingly complex'. That means there are always some strange symptoms that can occur, including headaches. Hope that helps!
How do you work the clavicular division?
Should everyone be able to grab their sternocleidomastoid like this? Im skinny and its definitely there but i cant grip it like you do
If these r tight can it cause forward neck
Hi sir I have a question. I have been getting panic attacks a lot lately. Can that be caused by this muscle? Because I barely have to turn my head for the muscle to pop out. Sometimes when I swallow it feels like it's not going down my throat. My arms get really cold and I have random muscle spasms too not just in my neck but in the rest of my body too.
Yes, along with Scalenes and Trapezius but get everything else checked out first. :)
Yep, I’m getting those.
Cannot find your site. Do you have a new one?