Neck Stretches: The Anatomy Of The Neck
When performing neck stretches you should know that there are many muscles involved in the neck, with many muscles doing more than one function. To simplify it, the muscles are arranged based on their function.
Benefits To Neck Stretches
The neck region much like any other can lose range of motion with improper movement or lack of movement. It is also an area where many people hold tension. The benefits of stretching the neck muscles are:
- Improving/maintaining posture
- Lengthen and relax tight muscles
Neck Stretching Exercises
Upper Fibres Trapezius Stretch
- Drop your ear to one shoulder until you feel a stretch.
- For a deeper stretch, place your hand on your head and apply gentle pressure.
- Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds.
- Do not turn your head or tilt it forward or backwards while you perform this stretch.
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Note: never aggressively stretch the neck. Gentle stretching is always the goal.
Levator Scapula Stretch
- Sit tall on a chair.
- Grab the bottom of the seat with your hand (or sit on your hand) on the injured side to lower the shoulder by pulling down.
- Turn your head so as to bring your chin towards your shoulder and lower your head towards your chest.
- Apply extra pressure (gently) with your hand to increase the stretch if needed.
- Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds.
- Do NOT tilt your head so as to bring your ear towards your shoulder while you perform this movement.