Neck pain relief in San Francisco.
Neck pain is almost always a mid-back and shoulder blade problem. Something below your neck is out of position, and your neck is absorbing the load. Dr. Garrett finds where your body is out of balance and teaches you how to correct it yourself.
"I finally understand why my neck has been hurting. That's worth more than any treatment I've ever had."— Tyler · Photographer
The neck is where the pain shows up. But it's rarely where the problem starts.
The pattern nobody has explained to you
Your neck muscles are working overtime to hold your head in position because something below them has shifted. When your mid-back rounds forward or your shoulder blades lose their position, your head drifts forward with them. For every inch your head sits in front of your shoulders, it adds roughly ten pounds of load on your neck. Most people are two to three inches forward. That's an extra twenty to thirty pounds your neck is carrying all day.
Why stretching and massage haven't lasted
Releasing the tight muscles in your neck and upper traps feels good in the moment. But those muscles are tight because they're overworking. If you don't change what they're overworking for, they tighten right back up. Stretching a muscle that's already being pulled too hard doesn't solve the problem. It can make it worse.
Why temporary relief stays temporary
Adjustments, injections, and hands-on work can provide real relief. But if the postural pattern pulling your head forward hasn't changed, the load comes right back. The Amari Method finds both ends of the problem at once: what's overworking releases, what's underworking re-engages, and the neck stops absorbing all the force.
This is exactly what your first session finds.
Book your first session — $225→First session guaranteed · In person SF or virtual
Where neck pain actually comes from.
The cervical spine is the endpoint of forces traveling up from the thoracic spine, ribcage, and shoulder blades.
Your mid-back has stiffened up.
When the thoracic spine rounds and locks, the body compensates by extending through the neck. That pushes the head forward and compresses the cervical joints. This is the most common pattern Dr. Garrett sees in people with chronic neck pain. Releasing thoracic mobility is often the fastest path to lasting neck relief.
Your shoulder blades have lost their position.
The muscles that anchor your shoulder blades attach directly to your cervical spine. When the shoulder blades collapse forward, those muscles pull on the neck and the upper traps take over to stabilize your head. That constant overwork is where the tightness, knots, and tension headaches come from.
Parts of your upper back have stopped working.
Sitting at a desk, driving, or working with your arms in front of you for years changes the balance between the front and back of your shoulders. The front gets tight and dominant. The back stops engaging. When that happens, your neck and upper traps become the primary stabilizers, and they're not built for that job.
Your specific pattern is identifiable.
Whether your pain is from disc compression, cervicogenic headaches, thoracic outlet syndrome, or general stiffness, the pattern driving it can be found. Dr. Garrett assesses how force moves through your upper body and identifies the specific imbalance creating your symptoms.
What happens in your first session.
Full assessment, guided protocols, and a take-home practice. 60 minutes.
Assessment
Dr. Garrett assesses how your body moves. Where it's overworking, where it's shut down. He's looking at your whole body, not just the part that hurts.
Guided protocols
Using simple props (yoga blocks, foam rollers, gymnastic rings), Dr. Garrett guides you through protocols adapted to your body in real time. You're not lying on a table. You're moving, finding positions where your body starts to rebalance itself.
What changes
Most clients feel a noticeable shift during the first session. The overworked areas release. The underworked areas start to re-engage. You feel the difference before you leave.
Take-home practice
You leave with a short practice for what was worked on that session. About five minutes. You do it on your living room floor. It maintains the changes and keeps your body moving in the right direction between sessions.
Virtual sessions work well for neck pain. Dr. Garrett assesses your posture and movement patterns via live video and guides you through protocols in real time. Most clients notice reduced tension and improved range of motion during their first virtual session.
People who came in with the same thing.
I finally understand WHY my neck has been hurting. That's worth more than any treatment I've ever had.
I follow his protocol every day. 8 months no pain.
My shoulder was just the weakest link. Huge a-ha moment.
Most clients feel a difference in their first session.
Book a session with Dr. Garrett. If you don't experience noticeable relief, we keep working with you until you do, at no additional charge.
Common questions.
If something isn't here, ask on a free discovery call. Dr. Garrett answers everything before you book a paid session.