Relieving Pain in the Neck

I was not blessed with a good neck. I had sever whiplash when I was 18 combined with years of sitting at a desk. The result, chronic pain in my neck. Previous injuries aren't the only cause of neck pain. Poor posture and sitting for long periods will cause you just as much angst. Take some time today to watch the people around you. Notice where their heads are. Are they positioned over their shoulders or is their head out in front like it's trying to get somewhere fast?

Maintaining correct posture is challenging. Without even realizing it our heads will drift forward as we sit at our desks putting pressure on our necks. The head is the heaviest part of our body and it can easily strain our muscles when it isn't in the correct position. The front and back of our neck along with our chest and upper back become tight leading to tension headaches. Looking at the picture below it shows how much our head weighs if we're holding a correct posture (12lbs) verse if we begin to slouch, the weight gets heavier causing more strain. No wonder we're so tense.

There are a few simple stretches you can do to help relieve the pressure caused by poor posture. They're simple and quick. You can do all the poses listed below, or just a few of them. I recommend you do them every hour or when you feel tension creeping in. Don't wait till you have a headache as it will be harder to get the muscles to relax. Also do a posture check often. Our bodies are sneaky and before we know it we're slouching regardless of our best intentions to sit upright.

Tension can be released with some simple arm movements. Move with your breath as you do these.

• Standing or sitting, inhale and extend the arms up, exhale and release them down. Repeat 5-7 times.
• Standing or sitting, extend your arms out to the side, palms down. Relax your shoulders down and extend out all the way through your finger tips. Inhale extend turning your head to the right, turning that palm up, exhale bring your palms together and face forward, inhale back out turning your head to the left, turning that palm up. Repeat this 5-7 times. Whichever palm you are looking at is facing up while the one you are looking away from is facing down.

The picture above isn't the best, but I used it to give you an idea on the arm movements. For the arms up picture, don't rest them in your lap, drop them to your side and extend down through the finger tips, then inhale and reach up. For the second picture you can face your palms down when your arms are in front of you, but you will get more of a stretch if you turn the palms to face each other. 

• Stand tall with one arm up and the other arm extended out to the side. The arm that is up have the palm open (the ref (yes I used a picture of a ref, it was the only one I could find...) in the picture has the wrong hand in a fist), the arm that is extended out to the side, ball into a fist. Really extend out each arm. Switch sides. Make sure to do deep breathing while you do this stretch.

• Sit or stand tall. Turn your head towards your right shoulder. Inhale and look up, exhale and look down. Slow movements with the breath. Bring the head to neutral and turn towards the left shoulder. Inhale and look up, exhale and look down. Do 5-7 on each side.
• Lace your fingers behind your head and allow the weight of your arms to pull your head down. Hold for a few breaths.
• Grab the side of the right side of your head with your left hand. Pull your head down to stretch, turning your chin towards the center of your chest till you find a good stretch. Extend your right arm down, stretching it towards the floor. Repeat on the other side.

• Sitting or standing place your left hand on your clavicle and pull down while you turn your head to the right and look up. You should feel a stretch in the front right side of your neck. Repeat on the other side.

 

In order to relieve chronic tension you'll need to stretch. Experiment to figure out what stretches work best for you. Never force a stretch, especially when the muscles are tight. Ease into the stretch and work with your breath. Be mindful of your posture and give yourself little breaks throughout the day to help stretch out the tension. Your neck will thank you.