3 Great Stretches for Neck Pain

by | May 13, 2022 | Health and Wellness, Physical Therapy

3 great exercises for neck pain

Do you experience neck pain? Many people experience neck pain due to sitting in front of a computer, poor sleeping postures, or maybe related to a neck injury.  We recommend that you seek the advice of a medical professional if you have had an injury to your neck or your neck pain is a chronic condition. There are many great treatment options that can help you alleviate neck pain.  Here are 3 great stretches for Neck pain

The Chin Tuck

The chin tuck is a great stretch, especially for people that are experiencing neck pain related to poor seated posture. Chin tucks can be performed while standing or sitting. Here is a simple way to do chin tucks:

  • Sit upright and look straight ahead with the ears directly over the shoulders.
  • Place a finger on the chin.
  • Without moving the finger, pull the chin and head straight back until a good stretch is felt at the base of the head and top of the neck.
  • Hold for 10 seconds.
  • Bring the chin forward again to the finger.
  • Repeat for a total of 5 times, or as tolerated.

Check out this video for a great description and demonstration of Chin Tuck Stretches.

 The Upper Trap Stretch

Tension in your upper trapezius muscles can cause neck pain. The trapezius muscle is one of the largest muscle groups that directly attaches to the cervical spine and can be a major contributor to neck pain. Often the trapezius muscle can be much tighter on the dominate hand side in most people. This imbalance can reduce neck range of motion. To perform the upper trap stretch:

  • Sit/Stand nice and tall
  • Lay your ear towards your shoulder to feel a good stretch (do not twist head)
  • To increase stretch you can grab the side of a chair, if you are seated, or place your hand on the shoulder away from your lean and press that shoulder down to get a better stretch
  • Hold this stretch for 10 seconds and reverse motion to other shoulder.
  • Perform 5 repetitions.

Check out this video for a description of the the Upper Trap Stretch

The Levator Scapulae Stretch

The Levator Scapulae muscle attaches your neck to your shoulder blade (scapula) to your upper neck. This muscle helps with elevating the scapula (shrugging the shoulder) and can cause neck pain. To perform the Levator Scapulae Stretch:

  • Raise one arm above your shoulder, bending your arm to place your hand on your upper back (This stabilizes the shoulder blade)
  • Rotate your head about 45 degrees towards the opposite arm
  • Bend your head down to feel the stretch (you may take your opposite arms had and place it on top of head and lightly pull down to increase the stretch)
  • Hold for 10 seconds
  • Repeat on the opposite side
  • Perform 5 repetitions for both sides

Try this 3 stretches the next time you have neck pain. If your neck pain continues, contact your local physical therapy provider. Downtown Physical Therapy provides treatment for neck pain at our Downtown Phoenix location. You can reach us at 602-833-6677.