Exercises for Neck Pain

There are exercises available to reduce and prevent neck pain. When done correctly and consistently, these exercises will not only help reduce pain, but will bring a greater range of movement to the neck.

Warming Up

• Begin your exercise session with a short warm-up. Warm-up exercises help get your neck ready to be stretched and moved. Start by moving your neck forward and backward as well as from side-to-side. Do each movement about 20 times to increase mobility.

  Next, drop your chin so that it touches your chest. Roll your head from the left shoulder to the right in a semicircle in front of your chest. Do not try to stretch too far. The purpose of this exercise is simply to get your neck moving.

Stretches

• You do not need a lot of time for neck stretches. These exercises do not focus on intense work, but on getting relief to the proper areas of the neck. It is best to do a wide range of stretches, until you find which ones best relieve the pain in your neck. Once you have found the right exercise, do it consistently.

  Start by tucking your chin downward to your chest. Relax in this position for a few seconds and then gently and meticulously move your neck so that your head comes up and you are looking toward the sky. Stay in this position for a few seconds and slowly move your neck so that your head is forward again. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

  For another exercise, bend your head toward the right shoulder. Do not bend the neck so far that it causes pain, but do bend it far enough so that you can feel a small stretch. Hold this stretch for a few seconds and then bend the neck to the left shoulder. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Related Exercises

• When you have neck pain, the source of the pain often comes from places other than just the neck. Doing light shoulder exercises can also relieve the pain. You can do one exercise by shrugging you shoulders upward no farther than is comfortable and then ease them downward a little bit lower than they normally are.

  Bracing the shoulders can also relieve neck pain. To brace your shoulders, bring them to the front as if you were trying to push them together. Hold this pose for a moment and slowly pull your shoulder blades together. Repeat this several times.