The muscles in your neck are particularly prone to stiffness and tension. While your neck doesn't get much of a workout during daily activities and most regular forms of exercise, working your neck with exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles can help eliminate pain, tightness and help support your spine.
Stretches
Stretching your neck and shoulders helps lengthen the muscles in your neck to reduce tension, which is a particularly common problem for people who work at a desk or stay in one position most of the day. Stretch the back of your neck by tilting your chin toward your chest while keeping your shoulders straight and still. Stretching the muscles along the sides of your neck in different ways helps improve your range of motion and flexibility. Tilt the side of your head toward your shoulder on each side and turn your head to look in both directions to gently stretch the muscles along the sides of your neck.
Strengthening
Strengthening the muscles in your neck can help prevent pain and reduce your risk of injury. Hold your shoulders straight with your head up and aligned with your spine. Keeping your chin parallel to the ground, slide your head back to pull your chin back toward your chest using your neck muscles. Bending to the side with resistance from your hand helps strengthen the muscles along the sides of your neck that run to your shoulders. Sit straight up in a chair or on the floor and slowly bend your upper body to one side with your hand placed firmly on the crown of your head. Lead with your neck as you perform the exercise, allowing your hand to offer some resistance. You should feel light tension in the sides of your neck, but use less pressure if the exercise feels painful.
Yoga
Yoga uses specific positions and stretches to target different muscle groups in your body and promote relaxation and proper posture. If you suffer from a weak neck or have chronic neck pain, certain yoga poses that involve tilting your head or straightening and lengthening your spine may help reduce your symptoms. Some forms of yoga incorporate other elements to reduce pain and improve flexibility throughout the body, such as bikram yoga, which uses a hot room to make it easier to stretch your muscles and relax.
Considerations
Talk to your doctor before performing neck exercises if you have a spinal condition or have recently suffered a neck injury. Taking frequent breaks throughout the day to stretch your neck is one of the best ways to work your muscles. Maintain each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds and only stretch to the point where you feel a gentle pull. Start slow with strengthening exercises, performing eight to 10 repetitions of each exercise once per day or once every other day until it becomes easier to do them.
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