I always have really tight muscles in my neck/shoulders. Every once in a great while, when I’m lucky, I get to have a professional massage and even she says they are bad! One of the last times I was there, she gave me something to try at home for relief. I’ll get to that in a second.
When I can, I try to roll my shoulders backward and forward to keep them loose. I’ll do this either sitting at my desk, driving in my car, or whenever I think about it. I remember about once a month, truthfully.
Quite a few years ago, a manager here at work had this really weird contraption that was supposed to be a “trigger point therapy self-massage tool” (below). I got one, and it works, but I usually use it for my neck when I get headaches. I have the Back Buddy (as do Coach Melissa and Coach Sarah.)
Back Buddy
Thera Cane
However, what has worked the best, and what the massage therapist suggested, was to take a foam roller, put it on the wall, lean into, and roll up and down. This has been amazing! Give it a try. I do it a little slower than the video demonstrates, but I’m sure either way would be beneficial. Let me know if you have other ways of relieving your neck/shoulders.