Neck and Shoulder Tension Relief Exercises

Do you suffer from neck and shoulder tension? It's really very painful and energy draining. If you do suffer from tension in these areas, there’s a good chance you’re putting strain on other parts of your body in order to get away from the pain. With more and more people sitting at their desks for long periods every day, it’s vital to avoid getting aches and pains in these areas.

So what do you do - go to the chiropractor? Although there's nothing wrong with chiropractors, if you can get neck and shoulder pain relief from doing a simple exercise - why not try this first.

Before making an appointment with doctor or chiropractor, there are a couple of easy and effective remedies for neck and shoulder tension that have helped us and may help to ease your discomfort too. If you incorporate these exercises into your daily routine - you'll be feeling the benefits after only a few days.

Rolling and stretching that area of your body can help to relieve and very often get rid of this sometimes very painful condition of tension in the neck and shoulder area, as well as help with headaches and other aches and pains.

This exercise will loosen tension in the neck and shoulders as well as stretching the spine and adding flexibility and suppleness to the neck and upper shoulder area.

Method:

1. Sit with straight back on a chair or stand upright with your feet a little apart and knees a little bent. Relax your shoulders in a way that you feel they are sinking down into the ground. Relax your body, keeping tummy in and back straight.
2. Stretch your neck upward carefully and slowly while you sink your chin until it touches your chest - letting your jaw relax and hang loosely.
3. Relax your shoulders at the same time try to hold them a little backward.
4. Now turn your head carefully and slowly toward the right, keeping your chin down - until your nose is parallel with the middle of your right shoulder.
5. While you hold this position - look over your shoulder as far as you can while you try to stretch your neck even more. Hold this position while you count to 5.
6. Keeping your neck stretched as much as possible - now turn your head back to the center position where you started off as explained in #4.
7. Now turn your head in the same way over to the left in a smooth, careful and slow movement - once your nose is parallel with the middle of your left shoulder, look over your shoulder as far as you can while you stretch your neck even more. Hold this position while you count to 5.
8. Keeping your neck stretched - turn your head/chin back to the center position.

Repetitions:

Dag 1: 2 times - Dag 2: 3 times - Dag 3: 4 times - Dag 4: 5 times

Remember not to make sudden, abrupt movements while doing this exercise as it can be damaging to your neck. Also its important that your shoulders and chin are relaxed. If you’re standing for this exercise remember not to lock your knees, but do keep your tummy in and your back straight.

Important note: These exercises are for informational purposes only. You use them at your own risk. We are not physicians, but are merely passing on tried methods of exercising that have worked for us and others. Please consult your physician before doing any kind of exercises.

This exercise can be done sitting or standing - whichever suits you best and feel most comfortable with. It will help loosen the muscles in the neck and shoulders. It stretches the spine, adding flexibility and suppleness to the joints and helping prevent tension in the neck and between the shoulder blades.

Method:

1. Sit with straight back on a chair or stand upright with your feet a little apart and knees a little bent. Relax your shoulders and arms.
2. Start by stretching your neck upward until you feel that you can’t stretch any further. At the same time relax your face and particularly your jaw. Close your eyes and try to imagine that your shoulders are sinking into the ground and that there’s an imaginary string attached to the ceiling that is pulling your head upward so that your neck is being stretched even more. Now try to put that image into practice - let your shoulders become heavy and sink, while your neck is stretching upward as much as you can.
3. Now turn your head carefully and slowly toward the right until you feel it stretch. Hold the position for a few seconds.
4. Turn your head now back to centre and face forward, stretching upward. Hold this position for a few seconds.
5. Now turn your head carefully and slowly toward the left until you feel it stretch. Hold that position for a few seconds.
6. Turn your head now carefully and slowly all the way over to the right in one movement - when your head is facing the right side - look over your right shoulder. (While doing this - make sure that your back is straight and shoulders are parallel with your feet).
7. Now turn your head carefully and slowly all the way over to the right in one movement - when your head is facing the right side - look over your right shoulder.

1 through to 5 are the pre-exercise and warm up positions, while 6 and 7 are the movements of the exercise once the warm up has been done.

Remember not to lock your knees if you’ve chosen to stand for this exercise. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed, with tummy in and back straight.

Repetitions:

Day 1: 2 times - Day 2: 3 times - Day 4: 4 times -Day 5: 5 times and so on.