Jonathan Su, DPT
Jonathan Su, DPT, a physical therapist, yoga therapist, and former U.S. Army officer based in the San Francisco Bay area. Dr. Su is author of 6-Minute Fitness at 60+ and 6-Minute Core Strength. SixMinuteFitness.com
Stretches to Reduce or Prevent Neck Pain
One in three adults experience neck pain each year. Are you one of them? Digital devices such as smartphones are responsible for some of this discomfort—people tend to tip their heads slightly forward when they use these, a posture that puts strain on neck muscles over time.
Here are three simple-yet-effective neck stretches and exercises from physical therapist and fitness coach Jonathan Su, DPT. Except for the T-Arm Lift on page 8, all the exercises below can be performed for two sets.
Lie on your back on the floor or another flat surface with no pillow under your head. Press your lower back into the floor, and tuck in your chin—that is, pull your jaw back a bit as if trying to create a double chin. Next, lift your head just enough so that it is no longer resting on the floor…one-half inch is plenty. Hold this head-hovering-slightly-above-the-floor position for 30 to 60 seconds. This exercise works the deep neck flexor muscles inside the front of the neck, which often are underdeveloped but are crucial for head stability.
Want to get even more from this exercise? Simultaneously work your neck and your abdominal core by combining this head-lift exercise with the “bent knee static leg lift.” Follow the steps above, but also bring your knees toward your chest, stopping when your hips and knees are at 90-degree angles, shins parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds as well.
Sit in a chair with your torso and head upright—a kitchen or desk chair is a good choice. Grip the right side of the chair seat with your right hand, then reach your left hand over your head with your fingers above your right ear. Drop your shoulders, then use your left hand to gently tip your left ear toward your left shoulder until you feel a good pull in your neck extending down into your right shoulder. Hold this stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, then reverse your hand positions and repeat the stretch on the other side. This exercise improves the neck’s range of motion by stretching the upper trapezius muscles among other muscle groups.
Caution: When we have limited range of motion in our neck, we often stretch by rolling our head all the way around in circles. Don’t do this—the combination of motions put the head and neck in an extreme position that can put undue stress on the cervical spine.
Stand arm’s length from a wall with one of your shoulders pointing directly toward the wall. Extend that arm out to your side, elbow straight, and place your fingers flat against the wall at shoulder height. Relax your shoulders, then without moving the hand that’s on the wall, slowly rotate your body away from that hand—that is, turn so your back is angled slightly toward the wall—until you feel a good pull in your chest. (You may also feel the stretch in your arm and shoulder if there is tightness in those structures.) Hold this stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side. This stretches the muscles of the chest, not the neck—but stretching these chest muscles helps counter the “rounded shoulder” posture that we often develop when we spend time hunched over our desks or digital devices.
Also: To fully counter this rounded-shoulder problem, you’ll need to strengthen the muscles of the upper back as well. Effective upper-back muscle exercises include pull-ups, rowing, cable pulls or the following T-Arm Lift…
Lie on the floor facing down, extend your arms outward so your body forms a letter T, point your thumbs up toward the ceiling, then slowly lift your arms three to six inches off the floor. Hold this position for three seconds, then slowly lower your arms back to the floor. Perform 15 to 20 repetitions.
