Neck Pain Solutions
Do you live with chronic neck pain?
So much of daily living puts us in dangerous posture, with our shoulders and head forward. Do you spend a great deal of time driving, or seated at a desk, working on a computer or reading? Over time, that posture will cause the proper "C" curve in your neck to erode, and cause you pain.
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Isometric Cervical Spine Exercise
Take a foam block (or maybe just a throw pillow), place it behind your head, standing up against a wall, arms at your sides, palms open. Now push the back of your head straight back into the block/ pillow for 10 seconds, and then relax. Repeat for 1- 2 minutes.
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Kettlebell or Dumbbell Halos
Standing erect, make a 360 degree circle around your head with the object. That range of motion will lubricate your shoulder joints, and utilize all the movement patterns of the shoulders. Perform 10 reps in each direction.
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Tip: If you don't have weights at home, you can use a soup can.
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Massage Stick
Have someone gently roll the stick over your upper back, and neck (not the spine though). This helps tight tissue feel and function better.
04/
Lat Activation
Lats are the biggest muscles of the upper body, located from your low back, through your mid back. They're involved in pulling exercises, and help the shoulders function better.
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Horizontal Pull Aparts
Hold an exercise band with both hands. Simply pull the band apart, while your arms stay straight throughout the entire range of motion (shoulder blades retracted, or pulled back throughout).
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High Pull Aparts
Similar to Horizontal Pull Aparts, except the start position is with your arms over your head, and the end position is when the band is touching your collarbone.
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Face Pulls
This exercise works on strengthening the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder joint, & scapula retraction (pulling the shoulder blades together). This exercise will help improve your posture, lessen pain in your cervical spine (neck), & strengthen your shoulder joints.
Advice from your trainer
Another simple solution to consider is your pillows. You should be sleeping with only one pillow. Any more than that forces your head into the same forward position you spend a good part of your day in. Your proper head position is when your ear lobe is directly over your shoulders. One pillow allows you to spend 6- 9 hours in better posture.
Don't chase pain. If you went to bed without pain, and woke up with pain, your neck probably isn't your problem. It could be your pillows. Or it could be that your shoulders are very tight. Utilizing the solutions I explained to you will help mobilize a mobile joint (shoulders), and remove pain from a stable joint (neck). Because, you see, the body is built with one stable joint, over one mobile joint. If the mobile joint becomes tight, the stability joint(s) above, and/ or below, may suffer the consequences.
Try these solutions to your neck pain, and let me know if you have any questions or problems. Submit your questions and comments in the "Get in Touch" section at the bottom of this page.
Live Right,
Keith