How To Use Your Brain Plasticity For Neck and Shoulder Pain Relief

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After parent teacher conferences this past Friday, our 10 year old, Benjamin, showed us how he employed the scientific method to an experiment to determine whether some objects were rigid, elastic, or plastic.

It stirred me to do an episode about how to use the recently discovered and extremely powerful "plasticity" of your brain to relieve pain and create protective, smooth, efficient movement of your neck and shoulders.

This episode is vital if you really want to get rid of the cause of joint and muscle overstrain and pain while grooving new, healthier programs in your brain!

You'll also learn why some patterns can be corrected quickly and other patterns can take more persistence.

But remember..ANYTHING is possible!

Enjoy and let me know in the comments what patterns, habits, or programs you have in your bodymind that you know need to be "released and rewired"!

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Comments

  1. A number of years ago i was in a martial arts class and my right hip started bothering me. I started experiencing sharp pains, got physical therapy and it took care of most it (also dropped the martial arts). I continue to have an odd gait sometimes, as if I’m favoring the left leg to protect the right hip… and the right hip does get really tight at times and really does bother me, though not like it used to!

  2. Dr. Steve,

    I was delighted to see that you were open to an epiphany from something as elementary as your son’s science experiment, which led to your clip about the plasticity of the brain. I know firsthand what you are describing because you are helping me noticeably change my long-held habit of scrunching my shoulders during many everyday activities. Awareness comes first, and then change really is viable. Hooray! Thanks for all your help.
    Marsha O.

    • @Marsha Thanks for your kind words, Marsha. And you’re welcome for the help! It’s nice to have a good student, too 😉

      And you said the magic words…”Awareness comes first”. Not until you’re aware can you begin to rewire your patterns.

  3. Dr Steve,

    Thanks for pointing out that, no matter how entrenched the problem, improvement is possible. It’s easy to forget this, give up and just keep taking the tablets. A dose of ‘hope’ is just what I need to get back on track. Thank-you.

  4. Dr. Steve,

    I am an artist currently preparing for a show in November, and have developed over the last year limited range of mobility in my right arm. Your comments on plasticity are right on and helpful as I work to regain range of movement. I do yoga regularly, and in fact was introduced to your crossed posture work through my yoga teacher who found you online. Thanks for your kind and sage advice. -Evie B.

  5. Dr. Steve, three times I had to consciously remind myself to relax my shoulders while watching this video. I could have demonstrated what you were talking about. Thanks for the reminders! My shoulders finally got the message… Lori

    • Conscious thoughts will rewire the subconscious mind soon enough, Lori…especially if you anchor it with emotion and repetition.

      Thanks for the comment!

  6. Excellent video.
    Loved the idea of plasticity.
    I was doing the arm movement with you, and wouldn’t you know my right shoulder movement has elasticized on me 😉 So I pause the video and did some movements and anchored my shoulder first, and had the intention of moving my arm correctly. After a couple of times it was much better, and I continued the video.
    I’m going to try and remember that my body movements are just like play dough 🙂

    • Wow, Beth! THAT’S a lesson for everyone right there! INSTANT ACTION!

      So often we (myself included) intellectualize about things but never actually DO them.

      Reminds me of a great story about the 2 doors. One says “Heaven” and the other
      says “Lecture on Heaven”. And everybody lines up for the lecture!

      The power is in the doing, and like you suggested, doing with intention.

      Thank you, Beth.

  7. Ever since my father died [ i was only 4 at the time] i became very introverted, Before that time my mother said I was very happy outgoing child.
    Now as a middle aged adult I really hate the way I am and want to be more outgoing and happy, but I feel trapped in the way I am, How can I change?

    • RaBee, I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist but I can see you’re wanting to change so I’ll give you my perspective from my experience.

      The first thing is to take this “neuroplasticity” stuff to heart. AWARENESS that rewiring the brain is possible is the first step and is very empowering.

      Sounds like acceptance and forgiveness is in order in order to “loosen the connections” of the neural circuits in your brain that have you believing you’re an introvert.

      Accept yourself as perfect for where you are at this moment in time. Struggling against the moment leads to stress and decay.

      Then forgive your Dad for dying if you feel called to do that and forgive yourself for staying stuck. It’s OK.

      That experience can be facilitated by caring folks like those in the Mankind Project on a New Warrior Weekend. Or it’s counterpart, “Woman Within”

      Next, you need to “blow your own mind” by doing something you would never do as an “introvert”. This will give your brain the new strong, emotional wiring to lay the foundation for the new program to eventually take over the old program.

      Other techniques I would suggest:

      *meditate, take a class, ask a yoga studio. But going beyond all thought is very cleansing and probably the most powerful thing you can do.
      *Emotional Freedom Technique can help you anchor in new beliefs
      *Study Neurolinguistic Programming

      These are simply some tools that have worked for me and lots of other people.

      Watch what you say when you talk to yourself. I can see you in joy right now, smiling and at ease.

      Keep that vision for yourself.

  8. Thanks for another great video. I need to reprogram the way I use my body, reaching, bending, carrying things. I tend to tense my shoulders and bend straight down straining my back. I have though been more aware of just how I use my body since doing your exercises and your correct sitting video.

    • Ahhhh, hearing you say the word “reprogram” is like music to my ears! That’s such a HUGE shift in mindset rather than thinking about who you can get to massage it, adjust it, or take care of it for you.

      Those things you mentioned are the exact things we’ll be going into more in-depth with the coaching course.

  9. I’m not responding to this particular post. I’m leaving a comment so express my appreciation for everything you are sharing with us. I have been suffering from chronic back pain for almost 30 years. I’ve seen dozens of doctors, chiropractors, therapists, acupuncturists, you name it, and they all disagreed with each other. Oops, I forgot to mention MRIs interpreted differently by orthopedic surgeons, and the doctors who told me to look up psychiatrists. I’ve taken matters into my own hands. The information and videos you provide will make a huge difference in my life.
    Sincerely,

    Isabelle

    • Wow, Isabelle! You’ve been through it! But unfortunately you are NOT the only one I’ve heard tell that story.

      Consider the full coaching course if you want some hand holding along the way!

  10. Glad to hear these habits can be overcome. My “habit” is to hold tension in my shoulders (I’ll find them up by my ears) and back down to my buttocks. As a result I’ve developed sciatic pain and shoulder pain. I have to consciously tell my self to relax the muscles and push away from my core. Love the information you’re sharing. It’s helped me tremendously.
    Cheryl

    • Glad it’s helping, Cheryl! That “stress system” just needs to be released and rewired! Pain and tension tend to drop away as physical, mental, and nutritional stresses decrease!

  11. Hi Dr Steve, thanks for all your videos. I’ve subscribed and hope your expertise can help me out. I think I may have lower crossed syndrome but I’m not sure. I also suddenly started playing squash again a few months ago after not playing for years and I think this has led to tight muscles in the hip and lower back. In turn, this has led to pain in the SI joint. I’m going to follow your core strength training and I’m also getting a bit of professional massage to help things along. I’m not sure I have many “bad” programs in my brain but it’s interesting to hear your thoughts anyway.

  12. Hi Dr. Steve. Another great message. I don’t often comment, but I always appreciate your wealth of information. I am in the business of teaching people to stop getting old, feel great and regain their vitality and your on-going educational series is a fabulous support to that! Keep up the great work and keep sharing with the world!
    Shana

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