Question
My husband is in severe pain caused by a stiff neck.  The pain started in the top of his shoulders but has shifted up to the back of his neck.  He has many other health problems eg. Heart bypass, diabetes, neuropothy arterial bypass. Becuse of all the other pills he is taking Dr. cannot subscribe anti inflamatory drugs so he has been taking pain killers and rubbing with anti inflamatory jell. He has also had one treatment of massage and laser which did not relieve it at all. He has had this pain for about two weeks and would be glad of some relief.
Can you help please?

Answer
Dear Joyce,

Inflammation is probably not the issue.  Sounds like your husband has some very contracted neck muscles.  That's what often causes stiffness.

You can tell by having him lie down and feeling the neck muscles.  They should be soft and relaxed.  If not, they are contracted.

If he were my client, I would take him through a procedure to teach him to relax those muscles.  Such training is necessary because the muscles are under the control of the brain and cannot be satisfactorily relaxed by external ministrations or drugs.

Articles on the process are found at somatics.com/page4.htm.

with regard,
Taylor Klitzke