18/06/2026
๐ช๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ? ๐๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ? ๐๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธโ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ.
Meet the ๐ฆ๐๐ (๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ)** ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ **๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐. These two muscle groups live in the front and sides of your neck, and they are absolute workhorses. But when they get tight, they are notorious master manipulators, throwing pain to completely different parts of your body.
Here is an anatomical look at the scalenes on the side of the neck:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ
โญ๏ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ This is the thick band that runs from behind your ear down to your collarbone. It helps you rotate and tilt your head.
โญ๏ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ A cluster of three small muscles tucked just behind the SCM that attach your neck vertebrae to your top two ribs.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ-๐ข๐๐: ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป & ๐๐ป๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ
When these muscles get locked up, they rarely just hurt in the neck. They mimic other injuries:
โญ๏ธ ๐จ๐ป๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐: Tight SCM muscles are a primary trigger for tension headaches, often sending a wrapping pain around your forehead, behind your eyes, or right at the base of your skull.
โญ๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ "๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐น ๐ง๐๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น" ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป: The massive bundle of nerves that travels down your arm passes directly *between* your anterior and middle scalene muscles. When the scalenes compress, they pinch those nerves, causing tingling, numbness, or shooting pain down your arm and into your fingers (often mistaken for carpal tunnel syndrome or a thoracic outlet issue).
โญ๏ธ ๐จ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ & ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐: Scalenes frequently refer a deep, annoying ache right between your shoulder blades or down into your chest.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง โก
Why are they always so angry? ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐๐ก๐๐จ.
When you are relaxed, your diaphragm does the heavy lifting to breathe. But when you are stressed, anxious, or rushing, your body shifts into "fight or flight" and you start shallow breathing.
Instead of your belly moving, your chest and shoulders lift. Every single time you take a shallow, stressed breath, your scalenes and SCM physically contract to pull your upper ribs up and help get air in. Do that thousands of times a day while sitting at a desk or staring at a screen, and itโs a recipe for severe tension and trigger points.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐
๐ถ๐?
If you've been stretching your upper back and shoulders but the ache won't budge, it's time to target the front of the neck. Deep tissue work, targeted trigger point release, and conscious belly breathing can completely change the game.
๐ Feeling that deep ache or mystery tingling? Letโs un-trap those nerves and get your neck moving properly again. Click the link in our bio to book your next session!
๐https://thebodymechanic.co.nz