THOSE PESKY SCALENES!

In the muscle world, the scalenes are pesky little buggers.   When your scalenes aren't happy, a whole lot of your body ain't happy.  Tight scalenes refer pain into your chest, upper back, jaw, and down your arm all the way to your thumb and index finger.

What makes our scalenes so cranky?  Usually bad posture from sitting with our heads jutted out over our shoulders, especially if they're turned to look at an off-kilter monitor while working long hours at the computer.  A whiplash injury often damages the functionality of the scalenes.  Paying attention to our neck's position while sitting is extremely important so that we don't lock that neck into what's known as the upper cross syndrome, as seen below.   

But what else can you do to help your scalenes?  A lot actually.     

First of all, you'll need to get familiar with and make friends with your scalenes.  Here’s a great site to help you do that.
 
Secondly, using the chart on Physiopedia (link above), find and release the trigger points.   The first photo of this blog post also has trigger points marked with X's.  Everyone’s different, so the trigger points on charts are general guidelines.  You’ll know when you hit one; it’s tender or downright painful.  Once you find one, get in a position of ease by moving your body to where it's most comfortable, and then hold that trigger point with a little pressure—not enough to make it hurt so that your muscles tense, but enough to send feedback to brain.  Hold that 30-90 seconds while gently scooping or pushing the surrounding tissue toward that point with your other hand.   Use about 50% of the pressure that's needed to cause pain at first.  As it starts to relax (~20 seconds?), increase pressure to about 75% of the pressure that will cause pain, then decrease pressure as you feel it start to relax until it lets go.  On intractable trigger points, like yours, the time needed to do this is going to be more.  And you'll have to treat it more often so that your body knows you're not fooling around here; you want it work in a new way and--this is important!--that you're going to be there to support it as it moves into new ways of being.  Forcing doesn't help; it often exacerbates the preciptating problem that caused the tightness in the first place.  Let your body know your commitment to its gentle, compassionate care by your touch.   Here's more on scalenes' trigger points that is also helpful.

BY THE WAY

By the way, we don't know if trigger points are muscular or fascial dysfunctions.  There are two schools of thought on this.  I'm more inclined to see the problem as fascial, which causes the muscles' problems since each muscle fiber is wrapped with fascia, and fascia is where nerve endings occur and where cellular exchange of nutrients and waste takes place.  If the fascia is tight, the muscle is deprived of needed nutrients and becomes full of toxic waste from cellular debris piling up that can't get out.  So I see a trigger point as a kind of landfill mountain that needs bulldozed and diffused to get the juicy flow of fascia happening again that the muscle needs to work right.  

Ok, once you release a trigger point, you want to stretch the muscle.  There are good muscle stretches on the Physiopedia site with video attached to do this. 
 
You may also want to use a ball to help you release these muscles, but I find that they're often so small and tight that they require more focused attention than a ball allows.  But if this works for you, great.  Physiopedia has links to show you how to do this.
 
Once you've released the trigger points and stretched the muscle, you'll want to massage it.  Here's a great video to help you do that.  

Physiopedia also has some exercises you can do to keep the muscle working properly.  
 
You can treat yourself several times during the day.  Once you know how, it won't take as long as it will when you're first learning.  Be careful not to do too much at once; it will just aggravate the muscle and cause swelling.  If this happens, wintergreen essential oil is quite effective at reducing inflammation.   

Tiger Balm and BioFreeze professional (only the professional formula!)  are good for pain.  Some find CBD oil helpful.  Lately, I've been using Cymbiotika's Pain Balm on myself.  I've linked to sources that I've found to be the least expensive at this writing; you may find other better sources.  I'm not paid by anyone to say this stuff, but when you find what works to help folks stay out of pain, you want to share.

Important Note!  The carotid artery goes through the front part of your neck.  Blocking blood flow through there can kill you.  So if you feel a strong pulse, get outta there! Just be careful, and you'll be fine. 

CAUTION!     WARNING!    CAUTION!