Sooner or later, 67 percent of Americans will experience neck pain. You could treat it with painkillers and medications, but that just masks the problem. Thankfully, several specific exercises come recommended by health professionals as some of the best movements you can do for relieving neck pain. Such exercises might help by strengthening the back, shoulder and neck muscles while also keeping the area stretched and limber.
Lateral Raises
Stand straight with your arms hanging at your side. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand. Keeping your left arm straight, raise it to your side until your arm is level with your shoulders. Pause for a second, then lower your arm. Repeat and aim to do three sets of 10 repetitions before switching arms and working your right side.
Shoulder Shrugs
Stand or sit in a relaxed position with your back straight and your arms hanging at your sides. Roll your shoulders forward, up toward your ears as far as they'll go, backward, then back down into a neutral position. At each compass point, pause for a couple of seconds. Repeat the front-to-back rolling 10 times, then repeat but reverse the circles that your shoulders make.
Dumbbell Shrugs
Straight up straight. Plant your feet apart so that they're separated by your shoulders' width. Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands. While keeping your arms relaxed at your sides, shrug your shoulders up as high as they'll go. Once you reach the peak, hold the position for a second before relaxing your shoulders back into a neutral position. Repeat for a total of a dozen repetitions.
Chin Tucks
Lie on your back. Place a rolled-up towel between your chin and your neck -- the roll should measure an inch or two in diameter. Tilt your head down, tucking your chin toward your chest and squeezing the towel as hard as you can. Repeat 10 to 12 times.
Range of Motion Twists
Lie on your back and tuck your head down to press your chin toward your neck. Once you've gone as far as you can, turn to the right, pause, then turn to the left and pause before turning to a neutral position. Repeat for a total of three repetitions.
Member Comments