05/02/2024
Neck pain has been a consistent problem lately among clients. Maybe the cold weather has us constantly shrugging our shoulders, or maybe too much time bent over our computers and phones has led to sore necks.
Neck pain is a multifaceted problem that can be solved a few different ways.
Release work can help relieve pain and headaches caused by neck tension (short term) but one solution is actually strengthening the muscles of the neck (long term.)
Is this counterintuitive to what you thought? Don’t tight muscles mean strong muscles? Why don’t we just stretch more? Actually, muscles that are tight, aren’t always strong.
Muscles become tight for a reason, often that reason is that they are overused or not strong enough to perform their job, so they spasm up to provide some sense of stability.
When we strengthen the neck muscles, (which is very important considering they support the head,) we have muscles that can remain at a more relaxed state, as they are strong enough to work when needed.
Swipe to see photos of exercises we can do to start. Neck planks, done forwards, backwards, sideways, and backwards with rotation, can be done for 30 seconds at a time to start.
Having a strong neck not only decreases our risk and severity of concussions, but also decreases neck pain. See the studies below!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37104630/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22753863/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32202262/
