3 Physiotherapy Exercises for Your Neck Pains
by Vernon Foster
Neck pains can be disturbing and may range from mild to sharp pains. Fortunately, you don't have to suffer for long. Here are a few exercises to help alleviate the pains before you reach out to your physiotherapist.
Sitting On the Floor with Your Back Up Against the Wall
Sit on the floor close to a wall. Press your back up against this wall and make sure you spread your feet about hip-width apart. With your back still pressed up against the wall, try pulling your shoulder blades close together. With your feet straight and your head touching the wall, tighten your thighs and start pulling your toes back. Hold it there for a few minutes until you feel the pain lessening.
This exercise acts to activate your upper back and shoulder muscles to help keep your shoulders and spine in the right place. This will in turn help reduce the neck pains because most of them are caused by misaligned shoulders, hips, and spine.
Lying On Your Floor with Your Legs on a Chair
With your back flat on the floor and your legs on a chair, place your arms gently on the floor at shoulder level. Your palms should be up, and both your hips and knees have to be at right angles. You should stay in this position until you feel your back resettling into the floor.
Doing this aligns your head and shoulders in the same plane, allowing your upper back and neck muscles to release or relax.
Lying On Your Floor and Scooting Your Legs into the Wall
You need to do this with your legs straight up the wall. If your hamstrings are stiff as well, you need to scoot back or further into the wall -- depending on how far into the wall you had scooted -- until your tailbone is rested flat on the floor. Spread out your feet to about hip-width and point them straight out from the wall. You then need to tighten your thighs and start pulling your toes back. You should then hold this position for a few minutes.
As your back extends against the floor's hard surface, the muscles of your upper back and neck will continue relaxing. This will in turn help to relieve your neck pains.
Neck pains are caused by different things and the 3 exercises above can help address the underlying causes. Some of the exercises such as those involving the hips, thighs, and toes may seem like they have nothing to do with your neck, but they can actually help reduce the pain since your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders work together as load-bearing joints. Remember that it's always advisable to check with your physiotherapist.
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About Me
Hello, my name is Peter and I live in Western Australia with my wife on our pet dogs. This is my blog which details how to deal with various medical emergencies and other conditions. Last year, several friends and members of my family suffered from various different kinds of medical problems. Some of them, such as my uncle had to be rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment that saved his life. Lots of my friends had minor problems which had a big impact on the quality of their lives. I take an active interest in first-aid and other medical matters so I decided to start this blog.