Neck pain and headaches can really make your life miserable. Simple things like going to dinner with friends or watching TV may be unbearable because you’re in constant pain. Turning your head to drive can feel like it’s impossible to do.
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we see a lot of people who have these type of problems. Often it happens because specific muscles in the neck have become weak and tight.
The good news is there are simple exercises you can do to strengthen the weak muscles, strengthen tight ones, and get out of pain. Here are 3 easy exercises you can do to escape neck pain.
Chin Tuck with Head lift
This exercise help increase the strength and endurance of some key neck muscles. Research has shown that these muscles often don’t work well in people with neck pain and headaches.
You don’t need to lie on a fancy table like this video shows. You can do this lying on your bed or on the floor.
Tuck your chin into your neck, lift your head just 1 inch off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and then lower it back down.
The most important part is to keep your chin tucked into your neck the entire way through the lift, hold, and lower.
Start with 2 sets of 10 every other day. As it gets easier, increase the hold time to 10 seconds.
Upper Trap Stretch
The upper trap is a common muscle that gets tight in people who have neck pain. It is also pretty easy to stretch during the course of your day.
Putting one hand behind the back is ideal, but not necessary if it bothers your shoulder for any reason. You can also add some rotation to your head to change the area getting stretched some.
Hold for 30 seconds and do it 2 times each session. Try doing it 2-3 times a day. Avoid stretching it all the time. That can make the nerves in the area more sensitive and cause it to be more tight.
Tall Kneeling Trunk Rotation
This a great exercise to do to break up your day if you are sitting at a computer for work. It can help to get your upper back moving again as well as turn on some of the upper back muscles that shut off when you sit for awhile.
To do this exercise correctly, keep your hips pushed forward and your chest opened up the entire time you are turning your trunk.
You should feel this working in your butt muscles and upper back.
Turn as far as you can and hold that position for 5 seconds, then repeat to the opposite side. Do 10-15 reps to each side.
None of the exercises above should make you hurt more.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, our physical therapists are experts at treating neck pain and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request and appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan to escape neck pain?
- You don’t enjoy spending time with friends because your neck hurts
- You develop headaches that limit every aspect of your life
- You get out of shape and are more likely to get other diseases and injuries
But WITH a plan to escape neck pain you can:
- Be social with your friends again
- Have more energy for working out and exercising
- Live the active life you want!
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a lot of time and are pretty easy to do correctly.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to escape neck pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
