I wrote this a few years ago on a Facebook group, and I maintain that this is the ultimate guide to fixing perceived problems in the upper back / neck / shoulder area, that I used to experience ALL THE TIME after rolling.

Two key things to be aware of:

1) Not a doctor, so do go and see someone first and get professional advice, having said that, this was near miraculous for me. Can’t stress this part enough – check with an experienced professional first.

2) The key to these exercises is maintaining the muscle squeeze throughout the movement. There will be parts where your body naturally wants to switch muscles off or go around pain / restrictions, those are the parts that count. Of course anyone can move their hands up and down with zero issues, the key is to be strict with the movement and muscle activation, from start to finish.

I will copy paste what I originally wrote, here, (almost) verbatim.

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Hi! UK black belt here. Just joined and saw a few posts regarding issues similar to mine, so I thought I would share as I have had a near miraculous improvement to the symptoms.

The problem was pain in the neck – limited mobility left and right and general feeling of uncomfortableness that also appeared in between my shoulder blades. A constant, niggling feeling that something was wrong, that made me feel something needed to be cracked or adjusted in my back to reset it. This feeling would be made worse after exertion (training or lifting.) Also, extended periods on computer gave me almost unbearable arm / shoulder pain.

Finally got some treatment on the NHS. An MRI revealed a minor disc bulge but they said it was probably not causing the symptoms as it was very minor.

I have previously dislocated my shoulder when competing, and have ongoing shoulder issues too. The physio gave me some shoulder and thoracic strengthening exercises with a band, which I was not massively excited about as I had done them for about a year previously when recovering from my dislocation. However, I did them diligently and to my surprise the neck and thoracic pain that I had been dealing with 24 hours a day for years cleared up around 80% in about 10 days.

Disclaimer: I am not even slightly a doctor of any kind but these have made a huge impact in my quality of life.

The exercises are:

1. External rotation (hold resistance band stretched between hands in front, elbows by side, rotate both arms outwards as if trying to pull the band apart)
2. Arms extended straight, hold resistance band by waist at a set distance (shoulder width apart) and slowly raise straightened arms up over your head maintaining the distance between the resistance band ie not allowing it to slack for a moment, then slowly return arms down. Key: maintain tension in muscles between shoulder blades all the way to the top position, making sure you are gently separating the band to keep it at that fixed distance apart.
3. This one was a hybrid of what the doctor showed me but it seems to really work. Hold resistance band between hands overhead with arms straight. Slowly pull down as if trying to lower a barbell behind the head, all the while squeezing / engaging the muscles between the shoulder blades, maintaining outward pressure to keep the band taught, and keeping good posture with head straight and chest up. This is where I noticed I had to do the most work – I was almost shaking with effort as I think some of my muscles around my shoulder must have been completely asleep or weakened for years due to complications from the dislocation. This also gave me some pain at the back of the shoulder reminiscent of dislocation pain, but that soon cleared up as I pushed through it. This can also be done without the band – simply pull elbows and shoulders back (in a surrender pose) and try to raise and straighten the arms overhead without letting the muscles between the shoulder blades “switch off”.

Once again, not a doctor, but I have had this pain for years, and these three exercises daily (5 to 10 reps, 3 sets) have made a huge, life-changing difference.

I would also personally not recommend chiro unless backed up by physio routine that addresses muscle weakness otherwise you’ll find yourself going back again and again to get adjusted.

Here are some pictures of AI Steven Seagal for no reason.