One of the greatest tools I have have been taught to use for myself is a neck roll. In my 30s I suffered from rapidly encroaching arthritis and osteoporosis. One of the most noticeable effects of this was a pronounced Widow’s Hump on my cervical / thoracic spine. Bear in mind, those don’t usually show up until post menopause – but my messed up system was already trying to do that as well.
As I started learning about balancing the pH of my body along with better diet and bio-available minerals to support pH and bone density, I started learning from a variety of mentors. One of those taught me how to create an excellent neck roll from a basic bath towel to relax and stretch the neck muscles and the cervical spine. The beauty of this approach is that I can make one pretty much anywhere in the world and not have to pack yet another thing into my suitcase when traveling. This is still my favorite approach here at home.
This roll leaves a channel in between sides that should be lined up with the spinal cord. This allows the neck muscle to gently stretch away from the spine without painful massage while also restoring the correct rotation of the neck. When the client laying on the neck roll, their chin should be pointing up away from their chest.
For myself, or for clients with painful necks or with a Widow’s Hump (also known as a Dowager’s Hump), I find that rolling an InLight Body Pad over this neck roll releases tension and pain better than any other approach that I have found.
Another great benefit to this approach is that I can easily unroll the towel and toss it in the washer in between clients!
If you decide to try this approach – please take pictures and tell us about your results!