People who don't exercise often, especially office workers, are prone to tension in their shoulders and can't relax due to the use of computers, and even affect their cervical spine and the whole back, as if they are carrying heavy objects. From the appearance, such people habitually shrug their shoulders, that is, the so-called "shoulder support". In the long run, the Qi of the spleen and stomach is easy to accumulate and stagnate, and then they are pale, thin limbs, or puffy and poor physical strength.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, these are caused by weakness of spleen and stomach and stagnation of Qi. Because the shoulders are the key to the circulation of Qi and blood in Zhongjiao, the "switching method" and "spleen lifting method" in Li Yi's introduction to medicine in the Ming Dynasty use the method of loosening the shoulders to regulate the Qi of the spleen and stomach. Most people's upper limb strength is often locked in the shoulder joint and can't penetrate the hands, but the traditional exercise method requires loosening the shoulder, and the strength does not stay in the shoulder joint and directly penetrates the hands, such as Taijiquan, Xingyi boxing, Bagua palm, etc. Here is a way to exercise your shoulders, get through the stagnation of your shoulders and restore the circulation of Qi and blood.
How to exercise your shoulders
Exercise one
In the abdominal movement, the waist and back are straight, close to the back, contract the abdominal muscles, and drive the shoulders to bend to the waist. At this time, the back is in a circular arc. Pay attention to inhale when abdominal muscles are tightened and exhale when relaxed. Each group did 5 times, a total of 3 groups.
Exercise 2
1. Slowly move your head forward, keep your jaw as close to your chest as possible, and let your back muscles stretch as much as possible. Then slowly raise your head until the muscles of the throat tighten and repeat 5 times.
2. Turn your head slowly and gently to the right, keeping your shoulders still. Look at a target behind you. Keep it for 5 seconds and turn back. Turn left again and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times. Avoid rotating too fast in the process to prevent pulling neck muscles or dizziness.
Exercise three
1. Press the top of your head with your fingertips and gently press it up and down. Then gently massage from the temple to the lower jaw, pinch the upper eyelid with the index finger and thumb, and pull it outward, which can be repeated many times. Hold the ear bone and pull it upward, downward and outward for 3 times respectively, and then rotate it forward and backward for 3 times respectively.
2. Gently massage around the eyes along the cheek bone. Massage outward from the nostrils to the lower jaw, and then return to the origin. Massage down the jaw. Rotate the lower jaw left and right for 5 times. Press the palm of your hand on the tip of your nose and make a circular motion 5 times in each direction.
Exercise 4
In the ballet practice of feet, the body is in a correct sitting position, the soles of the feet are placed on the ground, the heels are raised as much as possible, and the rhythm is controlled like ballet, so as to make the feet move up and down elastically. In the process, the body should relax as much as possible. There is no limit to the specific number of times, as long as you feel comfortable. This exercise helps to relieve the tension of calf muscles and help speed up the blood circulation of the feet.
Exercise five
Relax the legs, lean against the backrest, slowly straighten the knees and lift the lower legs. You can feel the muscles on both sides of the thighs exerting force, and the two legs can do it alternately. Adhere to 15 times, the whole body will feel relaxed.
Methods of preventing shoulder and back pain
Move more and don't look down at things all day
At present, wechat and mobile phones have greatly affected the daily life of the elderly. A long time of lowering the head will lead to a significant increase in the pressure of the cervical intervertebral disc. At the same time, the muscles of the neck, shoulder and back are in a tight state, and the synergetic muscle is also in a tense state of confrontation for a long time. Over time, it will lead to chronic inflammatory induration at the attachment point between the muscle and bone, resulting in cord like changes in the blood vessels and nerves passing through, resulting in head, neck, face, shoulder and back pain and even numbness.
Wanli said that if this long-term muscle tension change is not corrected, it will eventually lead to straightening and even reverse arch of the cervical spine, causing great pressure on the intervertebral disc, making it degenerate and unstable, resulting in intervertebral disc herniation and compression of the spinal nerve and spinal cord, resulting in radiation pain of the neck, shoulder and arm, numbness and weakness of the lower limbs, cotton feeling, etc.
Therefore, getting up more to stretch the shoulders and back, move the legs and feet, and restore the posture balance of the body can reduce the pain caused by long-term muscle tension and strain.
It's cool in the morning and evening. Add a dress to protect your shoulder
For people who have neck, shoulder and back muscle pain and strain, they should pay attention to keep warm and avoid catching cold. At night, the temperature is moderate when you just fall asleep, but if the cover is removed by turning over and other actions at night, your shoulders and back are very easy to be exposed and catch cold.
Therefore, when sleeping, wear a shoulder protector or protective vest to protect the shoulder. It can reduce the pain caused by shoulder and back cold and further deterioration of blood supply at night. Even if the quilt is accidentally kicked away at night, there is a layer of protection on the shoulder and back to avoid the wind cold caused by the complete exposure of the shoulder.
Stretch frequently to avoid excessive exercise
Reasonable stretching is a relaxation of muscles, a relief of fatigue, and the repair of some injuries to achieve the role of relaxation and repair. Wanli said that the pain of neck and shoulder can be relieved by stretching the shoulder. Each stretch should be maintained for 30-50 seconds to recover the tense muscle state faster. At the same time, we should avoid new injuries caused by excessive exercise, exercise moderately and take comfort as the degree.