DeJohn Bodywork

Your Neck Could Be the Reason Your Arm Hurts!

That nagging shoulder ache, the weak grip, the tingling fingers that won't quit. Often the problem isn't where you feel it. It's where the nerve starts: your cervical spine.

Your neck houses five key nerve roots (C5 through T1) that power and feel everything from your shoulder to your fingertips. When surrounding muscles, fascia, or scar tissue compress or tether these nerves, the symptoms show up downstream.

Here's the map:
-C5 drives your deltoid (lifting your arm) and feeds sensation to your outer shoulder. Weak overhead reach? Look here.
-C6 controls wrist extension and lights up your thumb side. Tennis elbow that won't resolve often has a C6 component.
-C7 runs wrist flexion and the triceps, with sensation through your middle finger. Pushing motions feel off when this is involved.
-C8 powers finger flexion and grip, mapping to your ring and pinky side. Dropping things or losing grip strength? This is a common culprit.
-T1 runs the small muscles between your fingers (interossei) for fine control and dexterity.

Here's where I come in. Active Release Techniques (ART) is hands-on soft tissue work that finds and releases the exact spots where muscle, fascia, and nerve get stuck together. Instead of chasing the symptom in your hand, we treat the path the nerve actually travels, from the neck through the shoulder and down the arm. Release the entrapment, restore the glide, and the downstream pain and weakness often follow.

If you've got arm pain, numbness, or weakness that hasn't responded to stretching, ice, or rest, the source may be higher up than you think. Let's map it and treat it at the root.
DM me or book a session. Your fingers might be asking your neck for help.

The Kinetic Chain Reaction 🔗
When your knee aches, it is natural to blame the knee. However, the human body is an interconnected network, and the site of the pain is rarely the true source of the problem. If you are dealing with stubborn knee discomfort, there is a high probability the real culprit is sitting right above it: your hips. Pain in the knee or foot often originates from an imbalance in the hips or glutes.

Here is how poor hip mobility creates a domino effect throughout your body:

The Stuck Hinge: Your hips are designed for high mobility. When they become locked up—often from long hours at a desk—the joints above and below them are forced to pick up the slack.

Knees Taking the Brunt: Because tight hips restrict normal movement, your knees are forced to absorb unnatural rotational forces. Pushing through this and continuing to run on compromised soft tissue only inputs "bad data" into your nervous system, leading to chronic compensation and compounding damage.

The Low Back Toll: Your lower back (lumbar spine) is designed for stability, not massive mobility. When tight hips refuse to move, your lower back is forced to overextend and twist to make up the difference, triggering that nagging low back pain.

In the clinic, we do not just chase the symptoms; we analyze your movement to find the mechanical root cause. By pinpointing the source and restoring proper glide and function to your muscles, tendons, and fascia, we can unlock the hips, relieve the knees, and protect the lower back.

Ready to get to the bottom of your mechanical pain? Hit the link in our bio to book your mobility assessment today and let us map out a plan to get you moving freely again!
Have you noticed your knee or back pain flaring up after long periods of sitting? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

Your summer body is working overtime.

Mountain biking, hiking, paddle boarding, trail running – Bend summers are incredible, but your soft tissue knows the difference between “active” and “overloaded.”

If you’ve got a nagging shoulder, tight hip flexors that won’t release, or a knee that’s been complaining since that last ride on Phils – that’s not just soreness. That’s your body flagging a pattern that won’t fix itself with rest alone.

Active Release Techniques combined with Class IV laser therapy addresses the actual tissue restriction, not just the symptom. Most people notice a meaningful difference in the first session.

I have openings this week.

📍 DeJohn Bodywork – 593 NW York Dr, Bend
📞 551-948-0993
🔗 www.dejohnbodywork.janeapp.com

Rock Climbers: your fingers are not indestructible.

Pulley injuries (A2 flexor tendon) are the most common overuse injury in climbing — and summer sending season is when we see them spike.

The warning signs: a pop, localized swelling at the base of the finger, pain on crimp. Most people climb through it. Most people regret it.

ART works on the flexor tendons, the intrinsic hand musculature, and the forearm flexor chain — the full system that's under load every time you're on the wall.

Don't lose your fall project to an injury you could have addressed in June.

📍 Bend, OR | Smith Rock is right there. Take care of your hands. Link in bio.

🚵 Knee pain killing your trail season?

IT band syndrome and patellar tendinitis spike hard in summer — usually from mileage jumps, poor saddle height, or tight hip flexors that never got addressed.

Ignoring it turns a minor overuse issue into a month off the trail.

ART gets into the tissue restrictions driving the problem — not just the symptoms. Most riders feel a difference in 2–3 sessions.

📍 Bend, OR | Link in bio to book.

Ever stretch a muscle over and over… and it still feels tight?

Here’s why.

Imagine a rubber band that’s gotten sticky and tangled from being used too much. No matter how much you pull on it, it doesn’t stretch smoothly anymore.

Muscles can get the same way.

When we overuse muscles (sports, workouts, sitting too long, repetitive work), tiny sticky spots form between muscles and the tissues around them. When that happens, the muscle can’t slide and move normally.

Stretching pulls on the whole system…
but it doesn’t always fix the “sticky spot.”

Active Release Techniques (ART) is designed to find those exact areas and restore smooth movement between the tissues.
When things start sliding again, the body often feels stronger, looser, and less painful. Schedule today!

Today, I am in Portland instructing another exceptional group of students in Active Release Techniques, specifically focusing on the Lower Extremity.

What is Active Release Techniques?

It is a hands-on treatment approach designed to locate and treat soft-tissue restrictions that can affect muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments, and nerves.

People often seek ART for:
Muscle tightness
Nerve irritation
Overuse injuries
Reduced range of motion
Chronic tension
Movement-related pain

If that sounds familiar, I’m offering a $99 Intro Special for new clients through the end of April.

Book your session here: www.dejohnbodywork.janeapp.com

If your body feels restricted, there is usually a reason. Let’s find it and work on it.

Schedule Online 24/7!