Exercises for Neck Pain

"Do They Cause More Harm Than Good... The Answers are Finally Here!"

Exercises for neck pain will fail to remove your neck pain permanently!

Read on to find out which exercises you should use now, the first ESSENTIAL step in any neck pain relief and why neck exercises fail to help.

Did you know - most exercises for neck pain will make the problem worse. If you are suffering neck pain right now, you need to be aware of what not to do, as much as what you need to do.

Your neck is a sensitive area. The joints and muscles are smaller and more refined than other areas of the spine. Neck pain feels on average 230% more painful than lower back pain . It is also a harder area to correct for most structural therapists.

The causes of neck pain also differ from the causes of lower back pain. You therefore need a different approach for treatment also.

Answer #1... Exercises for Neck Pain Should Do What?

Neck pain exercises need to address the important factors in your neck pain. You need to target not just your neck; your neck is affected by the:

• Upper Back - the muscles in the upper back support the movement in your neck. The joints also help with movement and stability. So you need to incorporate upper back pain exercise.

• Lower Back - when you walk your leg and arm work together. The lower back and pelvis are a foundation area. Fail to correct the lower back and neck pain will return. So you need to use lower back stretches and lower back exercises as part of your exercises for neck pain.

Like all areas of back pain, neck pain needs to address four areas. Using exercises for neck pain that fail to cover all aspects - will ultimately lead to failure. All exercises for neck pain must cover:

Muscle weakness - you need to improve the blood and nerve supply to muscles to help strengthen weakened muscles. Exercises for neck pain will fail to help if the blood or nerve supply is compromised.

Muscle tightness - muscles if tight will distort the neck joints. You need to use simple and effective stretches to help ease tension in the neck muscles. These are muscles that get little rest with your day to day activities. More on the important areas lower on this page.

Joint Disruption - if the joints fail to move freely, if they lack stability then muscles will also be out of balance. Learning to get the joints moving freely is an essential ingredient for removing neck pain.

Inflammation - if the joints are tight, if muscles are in spasm, inflammation in the neck is common. Removing inflammation with medication is okay for temporary relief only. If chronic look more to using natural pain relief products.

Answer #2... Which Muscles Do You Need to Target?

This web page is dedicated to the muscles relating to your neck pain. Exercises for neck pain need to relax and balance the muscles effectively. The muscle you will work on is not the important ingredient. When you stretch and how you stretch is most important. Timing is everything, fail to get this right and the muscles will tighten again, neck pain will return.

Sterno-Cleido-Mastoid (SCM)

This muscle helps to turn your neck and help to move the head down. The most common muscle involved in neck pain. To stretch this muscle the best technique (the how!) to use is called PNF.

Simply turn your head as far to one side as possible. Only to the point where you feel the muscles pulling or minor discomfort. Do not turn to the point of pain. Place your hands over your head to stabilize it and then try to turn back to the center. Your hands are stopping you turning your head. The resistance should only be about a 20% increase - not a forcible turning motion. Hold this tension for 6 seconds only - one thousand, two thousand, three ...

Rest your hands and turn your head back to the midline. Take a deep breath in and out and relax. Then repeat this so you perform it three times each side.

Please note: the twisting motion is gentle, your hands are stopping you turning your head - this should not cause pain. If it does then use less force. You should be able to turn your head further to the side after this exercise.

Upper Trapezius and Levator Scapulae

To stretch these, repeat the procedure above, however you are leaning your head to the side and again use your hands to resist the movement back to the center. Hold the tension for 6 seconds, relax and take a deep breath. Repeat each side three times.

Neck Extensors

Again repeat the same procedure, except try to bring your chin to your chest. Place hand on the back of the head and try to resist pulling back. Hold for 6 seconds, take a deep breath when you return to the midline.

Please note: do not perform this exercise leaning your head back. This is a very unstable position for the neck and will aggravate most neck conditions. The muscles that perform this movement will relax with the combine approach of the above procedures.

Exercises for neck pain need a complete approach. The stretches above will only cover part of the problem. You need to improve the blood and nerve supply, increase joint movement and flexibility and eliminate any inflammation. Fail to correct all these areas and your neck pain exercises will fail.

The neck is linked to the upper and lower back. You need to correct both lower back pain and upper back pain if they exist. Exercises for neck pain will not work completely if there are other areas in the spine not functioning correctly.

What is the best approach used with exercises for neck pain?

To get long lasting results you must both remove the symptoms and the cause. First you must identify which spinal imbalances are present, then attack the symptomatic processes. This can be achieved by using many techniques from ice/heat, Acupressure and anti-inflammatory measures. Then you must perform corrective techniques that target the spinal imbalances.

The principles of Spinal Balancing address the both the pain and the root cause of the condition that is responsible for your lower right back pain. Through self assessments, your individual spinal imbalances can be identified, and a targeted corrective program can be developed for your specific needs.

Continue to the ... 3-Step-System for Back Pain Relief!