Physical Therapy Exercises For Neck Pain

The neck is susceptible to strain from activities such as working out, playing sports, and even just sitting in an office all day. Although there are circumstances in which orthopedic surgery is warranted, non-invasive treatments are usually the best option for relieving neck discomfort in the long run.

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If you have neck pain that lasts more than a few weeks, a trained physiotherapist can help you develop a treatment plan. Safely improving your strength and flexibility while decreasing your risk of experiencing another neck injury is the goal of physical therapy.

The following exercises are ones your physical therapist may recommend if you’re experiencing neck pain and are looking for treatment.

Step One: Roll Your Head And Shoulders

These stretches should be done first as a warm-up before beginning any other forms of exercise. Holding your head straight and your arms at your sides, you can perform a shoulder roll. A moment of rest is warranted in between each roll. Roll ten times forward and ten times back.

Preparing the neck to roll the head requires some stretching beforehand. Take a deep breath and loosen your shoulder blades; your head should be level with your neck. First, bring your chin slowly toward your chest, and hold it for a few deep breaths. Next, tilt your head to the left and rest your ear on your left shoulder. Do the same on the right-hand side, then extend with your head tipped back.

After warming up your neck, try rolling your head slowly from front to back and side to side five times. If you want to keep your neck healthy, you should probably avoid full head rolls.

Seated Neck Extension 2

This exercise is so easy that you can do it at your desk. Stretch out your thighs and hips by sitting up straight in your chair and placing your feet flat on the floor. Hold your left hand on top of your head while you extend your right arm along your right side. Gently press down on the left side of your head while you tilt your head to the left to increase the stretch. Maintain this position for 30 seconds before switching to the right side. The muscles on either side of your neck, called levator scapulae, will feel a good stretch.

Wall Push-Up

Without the strain of regular push-ups, this exercise may help you build stronger shoulders and neck muscles. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and two to three feet from the wall. Just below shoulder height, lean your hands against the wall. Beginning with your arms at your sides, progressively bend your elbows to move your body close to the wall. You should do 1 or 2 two sets of 10 reps.

Water Workouts

Low-impact exercises like swimming, walking, and recumbent biking may help you avoid neck strain, which is common in high-impact sports. Many physical therapists prescribe swimming as an aerobic workout for people with neck pain because it increases blood flow to the neck.

You can try out some stretches for your neck, like the “clock” exercise, while you’re floating around in the pool. The following should be repeated on both sides:

Lunge forward while holding your arms out in front of you at shoulder level. As the right foot & hand advance to the 12 o’clock position, the left hand is swept back to the 6 o’clock position, and the head and torso follow suit. Iterate the preceding five times.

Repeat this motion five times, each time keeping the left hand sweeping to six o’clock and the head stationary at 9 o’clock.

The next five positions keep the head at 12 o’clock while the arm moves counterclockwise to 6.

Prone rows (5th position)

The muscles responsible for bringing the shoulder blades together are targeted in this workout. You should lay facedown on a bed and another flat surface, with your head in a corner and your arms hanging loosely at your sides. Without turning your head, row up by bending your elbows and pulling your shoulder blades together. Do 1 or 2 two sets of roughly 20 reps. If it’s too easy, try adding in some light weights.

Forms of Physical Activity-Based Therapy

The following are examples of common forms of active physical treatment for neck pain:

Exercising and stretching the neck. The muscles that link to the cervical spine may be trained through a series of stretches and exercises. The most well-known method entails a straight backward tug on the chin while facing ahead (not up or down).

Conditioning the abdominals and the back. If you’ve been advised to undergo physical therapy to help you feel better about your neck, you should probably do the same for your back and abdominal muscles. These muscle groups also collaborate to better support the spine & enhance one’s posture.

Aerobic exercise. When you do cardio, your heart and lungs have to work harder, so your blood flows faster and you breathe faster. Aerobic exercises that are gentle on the spine include brisk walking, swimming (with a mask & snorkel to prevent neck rotation), and cycling (whether seated or lying down).

Water aerobics. Several exercises can be performed in a pool. Because of your body’s natural buoyancy in water, you may exercise your muscles without putting any strain on your spine. Aquatic exercise may be suggested for patients with severe neck discomfort or with neck pain in addition to shoulder and/or back pain.

Depending on the patient’s individual therapeutic objectives, a combination of the aforementioned active physical therapy modalities, or the introduction of new modalities at different stages of treatment, may be necessary.

Possible Adverse Effects of Physical Activity

Under the watchful eye of a qualified medical expert, such as a licenced physical therapist, a vigorous physical therapy programme is usually safe, although not risk-free. You should be aware of the following problems and risks:

In the short term, you may see a worsening of your pain or stiffness. There will be some muscle discomfort and swelling when you first start working out. The discomfort and stiffness can be lessened by beginning a new physical therapy programme slowly and then increasing the workouts in subsequent sessions.

Mistakes in technique could make an injury worse or perhaps create another one. Overusing joints and/or soft tissues due to incorrect exercise technique is a common cause of injuries. It’s crucial to follow the instructions for each exercise to the letter.

Maintaining treatment is often challenging. People frequently abandon their physical treatment programmes too soon. If someone starts a treatment programme with the intention of sticking with it for 2 months but gives up after 1 month due to lack of motivation, they will not benefit from the additional strength, flexibility, & healing that may have been attained after the second month. 

Schedule physical therapy sessions in advance or work with a physical therapist to learn exercises that can be finished so that fewer in-office visits are necessary if the time commitment associated with physical therapy is a concern.

It’s possible that a medical problem that hasn’t been diagnosed may only get worse with time. The benefits of physical therapy are nullified if the underlying cause of the neck pain is a significant medical illness that has not yet been detected, such as cancer.

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