Do you go through days where neck pain or stiffness bothers your daily routine?
As much as you try to massage it, sometimes it just won’t go away.
Your neck pain usually comes about due to poor posture because of continued sitting or standing over the course of a day. Not only that but it can end up leading to mid back pain and cervicogenic headache (neck pain headaches).
Here are 3 simple neck stretches you can use to ease the pain you’re feeling and are useful stretches even when you’re not in pain!
Neck Stretches Can Give You Relief
Lateral Neck Stretch
– Tilt your head so that your left ear goes towards your left shoulder.
– Using your left arm, bring it over your head so that your left hand is touching the right side of your head.
– Gently pull down on your head so that you bring you ear closer to your shoulder.
(You should feel a stretch on the right side of your neck)
– Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the opposite side.
Diagonal Neck Stretch
Chin Tucks
– Turn your head so that your nose is in line with your left armpit.
– Bring your left arm over your head so that your hand is placed on the back of your head slightly towards the right hand side
– Gently pull down to bring your head closer to your left armpit.
(You should feel a stretch on the right side and back part of your neck)
– Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the other side.
For the 2 stretches above utilise the following 2 tips for a bigger and more specific stretch:
– For a bigger stretch sit on your hand before attempting.
– Ensure you keep your shoulders down and relaxed when trying the stretch
This stretch is great for reducing pain in the neck as well as helping in specific cases where bad posture may cause your head to poke forward.
– Start by sitting as tall as possible in a chair.
– Make an L shape with your index finger and thumb and place your index finger on your chin with your thumb pointing towards you.
This is done to prevent your head from poking further forward when doing the exercise.
– Focus on a spot out in front of you and slowly pull your head backward making sure your chin doesn’t tilt up or down by continuously focusing on the spot.
You should feel a stretch in the back of your neck going up to the base of your skull.
– Hold the position for 5 seconds and relax. Repeat 10 times
Neck Pain Diagnosis is key
These neck stretches are useful in both reducing and preventing common neck pain symptoms you may experience.
In saying that, it is important to make sure you have a proper diagnosis for your problem so that you can perform exercises that are specific for the particular cause of your neck pain because in some cases such as a bulging disc in your neck stretches can do more harm then good.
The more specific the stretches are to your problem the better it is for you in the long run.
This will speed up your recovery as well as treating any underlying issues which may be causing your neck pain.
To see if neck pain treatment can reduce your pain call us today or book online to see if we can help.
