5 Best Exercises For Neck Pain
Need a stiff neck remedy or looking for the best pulled neck muscle treatment? Neck pain is a condition that can present due to one underlying physical cause, or due to a multitude of lifestyle factors. Physiological changes include osteoarthritis, disc degeneration, muscular changes and injury/trauma induced whiplash.
There is also research that has revealed that people with neck pain have reduced activation of the deep cervical flexor muscles and overactivity of the superficial sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalene muscles compared to people without neck pain (Jull et. al., 2009).
Lifestyle factors such as excessive screen time, poor work ergonomic set up and reduced physical activity levels are also common causes of neck pain. Here are 5 exercises for neck pain that you can try at home.
However, if your neck pain persists, read more about physio for neck pain here or book in with one of our friendly physios to get some expert advice.
Neck pain treatment.
The five best exercises for neck pain.
1) Head rotations
A great place to start is to gently rotate the head through your available range of motion.
Start by ensuring good upright posture - imagine that there is a string gently pulling your head to the ceiling, shoulders slightly back and down, chin tucked in and head facing forward) slowly rotate the head to the left keeping the line of sight parallel to the ground (not looking up or down). When you reach a position where the neck is slightly uncomfortable with the stretch pause for 1 second and then turn the head back through centre and to the right. Repeat this in a slow controlled motion for 3 sets of 30 seconds with a short 15 second break in between.
Neck rotations for neck pain treatment.
2) Chin Tucks
Start by assuming the posture as described above. Place one hand on your chest near the top of your sternum. From here spread your fingers so that your thumb and little finger are on each collar bone and the pointer finger on your chin. Gently press your index finger into your chin to retract your chin and engage to muscles as the upper back of your neck (where it connects to the skull). Hold this posture for 5-10 seconds and rest 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times
Chin tucks for neck strain treatment.
3) Isometric Neck holds
With a flat palm press your hand into the side of your head.
Match the resistance with your neck muscles to ensure that your head stays still.
Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 5 times on both sides.
Isometric holds for stiff neck remedy.
4) Shoulder shrugs
Sitting with our good upright posture with one arm around 20cm from your side.
As you shrug the shoulder think about trying to bring the tip of your shoulder to the centre of your head and then slowly relax.
Each rep should take 2 seconds, repeat for 10 reps or as prescribed by your physio.
Shoulder shrugs for neck pain.
5) Scapula Squeezes
Sit/stand up straight, pull your shoulders backwards and downwards to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the back.
Hold for a moment and then relax, repeat for 5-10 times, keeping your head and chest up.
Scapula squeezes for neck strain relief.
What else can you do at home for neck pain?
While there is no one "cure" for neck pain, there are a number of things that you can do at home to reduce the risk of experiencing pain or to reduce symptoms. We look at four things you can do at home to stop neck pain or help alleviate symptoms.
1. Working or studying at home during the pandemic? Setting up your home office ergonomically is the most important thing you can do for your neck. Ergonomic work space set up, which has been covered in depth in our Blog ‘The best work from home setup’.
2. Maintain a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise. Research shows that people who exercise and have increased muscle mass are happier, more productive and report less pain (Korhonen, et al, 2003). While specific neck strengthening exercises are effective at reducing pain in office workers (Chen et al, 2017)
3. Lifestyle changes - we know that people with cardiovascular disease experience neck pain at a higher rate than the rest of the community.
4. Lastly, appropriate sleeping postures and habits help alleviate neck pain. Ensuring that your pillow and mattress are appropriate for you. Just like your toothbrush or the tires on your car your pillow and mattress will wear out and eventually need to be replaced. Speak to your physiotherapist for advice on what may best suit your body if you feel that it is time to upgrade your sleeping habits.
Neck strain treatment.
KRP treatment philosophy for neck pain.
Looking for the best neck strain treatment? All of the physiotherapists here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy are highly skilled in diagnosing the underlying cause of neck pain conditions. Following a thorough physical assessment your therapist will take time to explain the mechanisms and structures that are causing your neck symptoms.
Our philosophy is to ensure that all patients are provided with a tailored health plan that is specific to them, this will include goal setting and education regarding expectations for recovery and treatment time lines.
There is a range of treatment techniques that your therapist may decide is appropriate for you. These may include:
Manual therapy including joint mobilisations and massage to improve joint mobility and stiffness.
Targeted exercise program to improve postural strength and to reduce load on over stressed muscles.
Deep neck stabiliser strength.
Pain management modalities including ice/heat.
Postural analysis and ergonomic advice for the workplace, car or sleeping and advice on assistive devices such as pillows, desks and supports.
Stress management, mindfulness and lifestyle advice.
Referral to appropriate medical or allied health services when indicated.
KRP are the experts at reducing symptoms of neck pain and stopping its recurrence. Servicing Niddrie, Essendon, Airport West, Keilor & Melbourne’s Northern suburbs for over 40 years, you can book with one of our highly trained neck Physios below or call 93794557 to speak to one of our admin superstars.
Related links
References
Jull GA, Falla DL, Vicenzino B, Hodges PW. The effect of therapeutic exercise on activation of the deep cervical flexor muscles in people with chronic neck pain. Manual Therapy. 2009; 14: 696–701.
Article by
Sheree Harris | Physiotherapist
Sheree completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education) from RMIT and worked for numerous years as a Secondary School Physical Education and Science teacher, prior to completing a Doctor of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne.