One of the most common complaints I get from clients is tension in their neck and shoulders.  I think many of us can sympathize with that.  Whether you work long days on your feet or at a desk, many people carry stress in their neck and shoulders.

No matter how much you stretch, self-massage, apply heat or any other form of self-care to your neck and shoulders the tension always comes back…and fast. Why?

There are so many connections in the body that do not seem to make sense.  The neck and feet are one of them, but if we take a look at the connection it really does make sense.

I like to call it the bobble-head syndrome.

Think of your feet as the foundation of your body (I go more into depth in a previous blog).  If the foundation is shaky or not functioning properly, the rest of the structure can be unstable.  The top of the structure will be the most effected.

Think of your body as the structure, and again your feet are the foundation and your head is the top (supported by your neck).  The human head is pretty heavy in comparison to the neck.  Hence the bobble-head.

To exaggerate, a person is walking around on sore, unstable feet (this can happen for many reasons).  The instability travels all the way up the body to this heavy (because we have this wonderfully big brain)  head supported by a thinner structure, the neck.

Yay, physics!  If you would like to try it yourself:

Stand with both feet on the floor (flat footed).  Put all the weight into your toes.  Feel what your head does?  If you don’t, hold it for a minute.  Where does your head go?

You can do the same thing by putting all the weight in your feet towards your heels.  Where does your head go?

What is the first structure supporting your head?  Your neck and shoulders.

This is a very good reason to be nice and practice a lot of self-care on your feet to help with tension in your neck.

Crazy, huh?

If you have any questions about this, please email me at nicole@greenskymassage.com.  Massage is an awesome way to get muscle tightness out of your neck and feet.  A good self-care routine is also a great way to alleviate tension.