Exercises

In order to relieve tension in children, there are massage techniques and other applications as well as specific exercises designed to help relax the muscles. 1) Shaking off stress Here the child is asked to jump for 1 minute on the spot and shake out all parts of the body. Then, while standing upright for 30 seconds, slowly turn the head clockwise and shake it out for another 1 minute.

2) Tense and relax Ask the child to consciously tense individual body parts, this can also be done playfully. The tension should then be held for 20 seconds and then released again.3) Counting breaths Let the child count its breaths consciously. For example, inhale 5 seconds and exhale 5 seconds.

Doing this exercise will help to achieve general relaxation. 4) Shoulders Circle In this exercise the child should first slowly circle the shoulders forward. For variation, the shoulders can also be rotated backwards or offset.

5) Shoulders up In this exercise the child should raise his shoulders as far as possible towards the ears and hold them there for 5 seconds. Repeat several times. More exercises against neck and/or shoulder tension can be found here:

Exercises against neck pain
What is the best way to relax the cervical spine?
What is the best way to stretch the cervical spine?
Shoulder pain – the right physiotherapy

Fever

If fever occurs at the same time in children with shoulder and neck tension, caution is required, since it is usually a dangerous infection. In many children, meningitis, which can be caused by viruses or bacteria, is a serious illness that can have fatal consequences, especially in infants. A typical symptom of meningitis is a stiff neck.

Meningitis can develop suddenly or gradually, so parents should watch their children closely if they notice anything unusual. Especially in older children, a harmless tension can be distinguished from a stiffness caused by meningitis by asking the children to kiss their own knee. With meningitis, the pain is so severe that it is usually not possible for the child to kiss it.

Of course, meningitis is an extreme example. If a fever occurs at the same time as a neck-shoulder tension, it can also be a flu-like infection. Nevertheless, it is advisable to consult a doctor if you are unsure and the symptoms start abruptly.

The younger the children are, the greater the impact an undetected disease can have. This can result in permanent damage, protracted disease progressions and even death. Fever should therefore always be seen as a special warning signal and should not go untreated. Further articles dealing with similar topics can be found here, in order to enable a possible differential diagnosis:

Cervical spine fracture
Facet Arthrosis
Pinched nerve
Cervical Spine Syndrome