Do you have VSD? Panic attacks? Dizziness and fast fatiguability? Or all of this at the same time? Pay attention to your neck. This may be the reason.
If you are tormented by headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, black spots before your eyes and other problems with your body, then perhaps your neck muscles are very tight. In this article you will learn how to get rid of muscle tension in the neck and most importantly - how to do it safe and effective.
Why do you think the Lately so the number of people suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia has increased and, as a result,? Moreover, these people are often quite young, and talking about age-related changes somehow inappropriate.
I think you yourself know the answer. It's all to blame for our modern lifestyle. Computers and smartphones are the main “killers” of the neck and the cause of cervical osteochondrosis.
Look at today's youth - they walk down the street and endlessly stare at their smartphones and move as if on autopilot. What kind of neck can withstand such constant tension?
Or this constant sitting at the computer for many hours in a row. No cool and sophisticated computer chairs will help here. No wonder today they say that sitting for a long time is the new smoking. Immobilized muscles of the neck and shoulders compress blood vessels, causing fatigue, and can even cause damage to the central nervous system.
There is an established expression - “text neck”. And not only users of smartphones and tablets are susceptible to it, but also everyone who sits at a computer for a long time.
The second reason is, of course, a huge mass of various stresses that accumulate like a snowball. As a result, a person unconsciously tries to hide, pull his head into his shoulders, and close himself off from everything and everyone. The typical posture of such a person is that his shoulders are raised almost to his ears, his back is hunched, and his head, on the contrary, is thrown back.
All this leads to chronic stiffness of the neck muscles and corresponding symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis: headaches, dizziness, “whistle” in the ears, darkening of the eyes and other troubles.
Tight neck muscles and headaches, what should I do?
In my last article, I already told you what muscle tension is, where they come from and how to deal with them. There are also a lot of links to relevant articles and videos with exercises.
However, as for the neck muscles, we should talk about them in more detail, because this place is thin, and incorrect work with it is fraught with complications.
What you should know about the cervical spine
The main commandment of a healer is to do no harm! The same applies to the patient himself, if he decides to independent work With own body. If we talk about the neck, then this commandment must be multiplied by at least 10.
Authors various techniques When it comes to working with the neck, it can be divided into two opposing camps. Some advocate active torsion and rotation of the neck, stretching, massaging, and in the most gentle case - post-isometric relaxation, where no obvious movement is observed.
Others, on the contrary, argue that in no case should you turn your head around, and in general, not get into your own neck, but go urgently to the doctors, they say, they are smarter and know everything.
The truth, as always, is in the middle. Turning your head too actively, of course, is not useful, as is going to doctors, who do not all know exactly what they are talking about.
Since my blog is dedicated to finding solutions on my own life problems, then here I will only consider self-help techniques when working with the cervical spine.
And the first thing you should definitely consider is instability of the cervical spine. So that you know, this is observed in the vast majority of people who have certain neck problems.
As you probably know, a person has a total of 7 cervical vertebrae. For most people, the first two on top and the last two on the bottom are usually pinched. In this case, most often the entire thoracic region is compressed (hence the stoop).
Tightness does not mean that the spine is jammed. The small deep muscles that connect the vertebrae are tightened. They are the ones who limit movement.
But somehow you have to turn your head! So we rotate our neck at the level of 3, 4 and 5 vertebrae. As a result, the following picture is observed: vertebrae 1, 2, 6 and 7 are squeezed, and vertebrae 3, 4 and 5 dangle between them as they please. This is called instability of the cervical spine.
The consequences of such instability are obvious - this is precisely what leads to many of the problems voiced at the beginning of the article. But the cervical arteries pass through these vertebrae. And any clamping is fraught with disruption of the blood supply to the brain, corresponding glitches, accelerated degradation and subsequent transformation into a stubborn fox.
What exercises should you do for cervical osteochondrosis?
What to do if your neck feels like it’s in shackles? So, returning to active exercises with the neck, including post-isometry, which is widespread today (this is when you rest your head on your palms and press on them, but your head remains in place) - don't do it randomly!
If your neck is unstable, then such exercises will simply lead to even more laxity. Do you need it? No, don't! Therefore, we do everything very carefully, slowly and in every possible way protecting our neck.
No sudden turns, bends or head twisting! This will not give you anything useful, it will only make the problem worse. Some authors recommend doing this slowly and lingering for a long time at the extreme points. This helps stretch tight muscles. But it's easy to overdo it and pull too hard. As a result, the muscles may spasm even more.
Most the best option- the same post-isometric exercises. But! Not with the forehead or the back of the head in the palm of your hand. It is not right! This way you can easily move the vertebrae using a “ladder”. If you hold your head back, then use your palms to hold the neck and the lower part of the back of the head, and not the back of the head itself. Then the vertebrae will not move.
In general, the most perfect exercise- this is not to rest your head on your hands at all, but simply lie on the floor and raise your head, lock in this position for 10 - 15 seconds, then lower your head and relax. Lying on your side, you don’t have to move your head at all, just hold it straight for the same 10–15 seconds. Do each exercise 5 – 6 times. This is all!
In his book “Yoga. The Art of Communication" Victor Boyko recommends doing this simple exercise to strengthen the neck muscles not for 10 - 15 seconds, but until unpleasant sensation. As soon as it appears, you finish immediately.
You will be surprised that in a position on your stomach and sides you can quite normally hold your head up to 2 minutes or longer, but in a position lying on your back you can hardly hold out for more than 30 seconds. This indicates weakness in the anterior neck muscles. And since they are weak, the posterior muscles compensate for this weakness and therefore they are overextended.
Massage and kneading of neck muscles
In addition to exercises, you should also engage in self-massage of the neck muscles. There is nothing complicated here. The main rule is not to rush, do not press hard and do not rub like a washcloth in a bathhouse. Hands should be warm. Anyone knows how to do this. It would be good to lubricate your hands with any massage oil so as not to really rub the skin.
First, you should make light stroking movements with your hands from top to bottom, from the back of the head to the back and from the middle of the back to the shoulders. When the muscles warm up a little, you can begin to slowly knead them and push them with your fingers, still moving from top to bottom and from the center to the periphery.
The most tense muscles are the so-called short neck extensors. They take on the entire burden of holding the head. But the long extensors, which are actually supposed to do this work, are literally atrophied in most people. And, in addition, in these long extensors, and in the trapezius too, a large number of trigger points usually accumulate, which also need to be thoroughly massaged.
I talked about it best in my video. Anton Alekseev. I recommend!
Smooth posture against muscle tension in the neck
And finally, let's talk about straight posture. Everyone knows that this is right and necessary, but they still slouch. Vladimir Pavlukhin spoke very sensibly and clearly about the effect of stooping on the neck muscles in his book “Your Own Chiropractor.” Here's what he writes:
“... Very often the neck is placed in an extension position [When the head is thrown back. - approx. mine] occurs in people with a stooped posture (Figure c)
This becomes clear if you imagine the vertebrae in the form of cubes stacked in a column. If the lower cubes are moved in one direction, then to maintain balance the upper ones must also be moved - only in the opposite direction.
Approximately the same thing happens with the neck if there is an increased bend back (stoop) in the thoracic region. In order to keep the head in balance and bring the line of sight to the horizon level, our vestibular apparatus gives the command to “bend your neck.”
Consequently, in people with postural disorders, the neck is initially in the same position as in a person with normal posture, raising his head and looking to the sky...”
You understand? Stooped people seem to be looking high up all the time. What kind of tension in the neck accumulates over time?! So you try to stand for at least 5 minutes with your head thrown back. In the best case, your neck will quickly get tired, or you may even get dizzy out of habit. And slouched people always have this posture. Always, Karl!!!
And how rightly he notes
Now you can imagine what will happen if a person with such a spine tries to do, say, aerobics and starts turning his head. Rotations in such a neck will be carried out with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, before treating your neck, pay attention to your posture.
conclusions
- Before you begin any exercises to remove muscle tension from your neck, make sure that everything is in order with your posture. If not, go ahead and correct it, and only then take on the neck.
- Not all neck exercises are created equal. Any head rotation, especially in a circle, is almost completely useless and even harmful. Don't do that!
- Don't forget to stretch and massage your neck and trapezius muscles often. Often, ordinary self-massage with your hands or “rolling” with a tennis ball can significantly weaken or completely eliminate muscle tension in the neck.
- Post-isometric exercises are useful, but they also need to be done wisely. The safest and effective option- raising and fixing the head in a lying position on the stomach, back and sides. In this case, in a position on your side, it is enough to simply keep your head straight.
I hope this article helped you understand muscle clamps in the neck. Bookmark it so you don't forget it and share it on social networks.
Nowadays, osteochondrosis has become seriously “younger”. This disease, already very common, now very often affects people of working age. It is worth remembering that in 9 cases out of 10, back pain is somehow associated with osteochondrosis. We have already examined this disease in detail, but this time we will focus on such a component of treatment as massage of the cervical spine.
General information about the disease
Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine in which a degenerative process occurs in the intervertebral discs. The reasons for the development of osteochondrosis are well known to everyone - usually it is either excessive load on the spine (during sports, or due to professional duties), or vice versa - a serious lack of movement (sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle).
The development of the disease is explained by the fact that intervertebral disc their blood vessels does not have, it receives nutrition due to diffusion from surrounding tissues. Flaw motor activity leads to something being violated natural processes in the cartilage, as a result of which it begins premature aging. On the other hand, excessive loads lead to damage to the intervertebral discs, resulting in reduced elasticity and strength. In both cases, the result is the appearance of cracks in the outer shell of the disc, through which the nucleus pulposus of the disc falls out, leading to the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
Specifics of the cervical spine
It must be remembered that the neck is generally a rather vulnerable area. human body. Here, a large number of blood vessels and nerve canals pass through a relatively small volume. Therefore, the appearance of even a small protrusion, not to mention a full-fledged hernia, never goes unnoticed. On the other hand, the manifestations of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine do not always express themselves unambiguously, so there are often cases when a person is simply trying to cure a disease that does not exist, not suspecting that the problem is in the spine.
IN general case signs of the appearance of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine are pain in the neck, back of the head and interscapular region, attacks of dizziness, and limited neck mobility. Other rather unexpected signs may also appear, for example - increased blood pressure. At the same time, the heart is healthy, as all studies show. But a person begins to stubbornly “treat blood pressure,” although the reason is completely different.
How can massage help?
When treating such a disease, the doctor’s main task is primarily to relieve pain. After the pain has been removed or weakened, the real treatment begins, the main goal of which is to prevent the progression and relapse of the disease. There are two main methods used for this: physiotherapy and massage.
In the case of the neck, exercise therapy is often not so effective, but massage can fully fulfill its tasks:
- weakening or eliminating pain;
- improved blood circulation in the affected area;
- elimination of spasms of the muscles of the back and neck;
- strengthening neck muscles.
Specifics of massage of the cervicothoracic spine
The technique of performing a massage largely depends on what clinical picture the disease and what stage it is at. Since osteochondrosis can manifest itself in different ways, the technique classic massage must be selected individually. In addition, you need to trust only real specialists who know how to properly perform massage of the cervical spine, the price is in this case fades into the background - saving in such a situation is not worth it. In general, during therapeutic massage all the usual techniques of classical massage are used - stroking, rubbing, kneading, squeezing, vibration.
It should also be remembered that spinal massage, a video of which you can watch below, is usually performed when the acute period of the disease has already passed. Otherwise, there is a risk of strengthening rather than reducing pain syndrome. In addition, when performing a massage, the patient’s concomitant diseases, such as hypertension, circulatory disorders, etc.
In cases where the pain is expressed only on one side, the massage should begin with the healthy part of the neck and only then move on to the painful part, but ultimately the neck is massaged equally on both sides. In addition, the exit points of the small and large occipital nerves must be affected, since they are the ones that suffer from cervical osteochondrosis.
The addition of the classic therapeutic massage elements of segmental and acupressure massage.
Additionally, it is worth considering that in cases where the cause of pain is instability of the cervical spine, massage should be performed carefully. In this case, you can only trust a highly qualified specialist.
Do you want to know all the secrets of treating cervical osteochondrosis? Then check out this free training course >>
The neck is the most vulnerable place for osteochondrosis. This can be explained by three main reasons.
Firstly, cervical vertebrae very close to each other, much closer than in other parts of the spine. Accordingly, the thickness intervertebral discs in this area is quite small.
Secondly, muscle corset The neck is much less developed than in the lumbar or thoracic region. This means that the vertebrae are weakly held in place and are easily displaced even with slight pressure.
And thirdly, the vessels providing blood supply to the head are located in close proximity to the cervical vertebrae, which leads to a sharp disruption of the blood supply even at the slightest displacement.
Sedentary lifestyle of the majority modern people leads to further weakening of the neck muscles. And since few people sit at the table, observing correct posture and the distance from the eyes to a book or computer, already after leaving school, most students experience the first signs of spinal osteochondrosis. Therefore, osteochondrosis can be safely classified as a disease of civilization.
Symptoms such as neck pain, stiffness when turning and tilting the head are observed in every second person. Often, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine causes regular headaches and even constant toothache, which dentists cannot explain. And in advanced cases, when the intervertebral cartilages are displaced into the spinal canal with the formation of a hernia, even symptoms such as hearing and vision impairment occur.
Self-massage
Massage in combination with regular exercise – The best way prevention of osteochondrosis and even its treatment early stages. And self-massage is in a great way relieve symptoms such as pain and tension in the neck after a day of work, without the help of others. In addition, this treatment has virtually no contraindications.
Another advantage is that all movements are carried out under the control of one’s own sensitivity without pain or risk of damage to the vertebrae.
Self-massage should begin by stroking the neck from top to bottom. This can be done with both hands at the same time, or in turn stroking the opposite side of the neck with each hand. After this, begin rubbing movements. In this case, the fingertips glide over the surface of the skin.
Rubbing can also be done with the ribs of the palms, placing them parallel to the spine on both sides. After rubbing, they begin kneading, while the fingers no longer slide over the skin, but shift it in different directions.
Self-massage of the neck for osteochondrosis can be combined well with working on active points.
Spot impact
Most active points on the neck are in the attachment area occipital muscles (Bottom part occiput) and in the upper part of the trapezius muscle (back of the shoulders on both sides). Each point is located at the level of the corresponding vertebra and has its own name. However, with self-massage it is quite difficult to clearly identify them. Usually when a finger hits active point an unpleasant feeling appears.
It is useful to combine acupressure massage of the neck with massage of the scalp and shoulders, since these areas also receive innervation and blood supply from the cervical region. Clicking on pain points can be either short or long (5-6 seconds). They can be carried out either with the pads of the thumb, index or middle finger, or with a nail, similar to acupuncture. Acupressure treatment is extremely effective and has no contraindications.
Basic Techniques
If there is someone near you who wants to help you remove pain symptoms in the neck, you can use professional massage techniques. However, they should be carried out only after thoroughly rubbing and warming up the neck muscles and without excessive effort.
It is most convenient to massage your neck on a massage table, since it has a special hole for the face, due to which you can lay your head flat. But if such treatment is carried out at home, you can place your head with your forehead on the massage therapist’s lap.
After thoroughly warming up the muscles by stroking and rubbing, begin kneading. Compression techniques are also used, when the skin is squeezed between the palms like a pinch, and stretching in the opposite direction. Vibration techniques are also used: for this purpose, medium and index fingers Place both hands in the area where the occipital nerves exit and make shaking movements with them. The session ends with stroking.
Indications and contraindications
Massage should be performed only in the subacute stage of the disease. In a sitting position and with complete relaxation of the muscles, the massage therapist carefully turns the patient’s head left and right alternately. You can also supplement massage for cervicothoracic osteochondrosis with treatment using traction. To do this, in a sitting position, the massage therapist slightly lifts the patient by the head, promoting traction. spinal column and realigning the vertebrae into place.
But such techniques should be carried out very carefully and only after warming up and relaxing the muscles. If you are unsure of your abilities, it is better to refuse them in order to avoid the appearance of pathological displacements.
Contraindications to cervical massage:
- oncology;
- heart failure of the 3rd degree;
- hypertensive crisis;
- rashes and purulent skin lesions;
- fever of unknown origin.
How to properly massage with cervical osteochondrosis?
In order to remove painful sensations which arise due to compression of the nerve roots, it is recommended to massage the neck for cervical osteochondrosis. Severe radicular syndrome is characterized by pain on only one side. Therefore, in the first sessions, attention is focused on the healthy side, and a gentle massage is performed on the sick side.
The massage technique includes treatment of the cervical spine and collar area.
Massage technique
If the patient has cervical osteochondrosis with severe pain, it is advisable to perform a massage while lying on the stomach. To better relax the muscles, the patient should place his hands under his forehead and press his chin to his chest. In other cases, massage can be performed with the patient sitting at a table.
1. Begin the session with broad strokes of the entire surface of the collar area and neck. All movements are directed along the lymph. On the neck, grasping strokes are performed from hair growth to the shoulders, on the collar area from the top thoracic To armpits and shoulders. If necessary, a comb-like technique can be performed.
2. After superficial reception, squeezing is performed. It affects the deep layers of the skin and performs lymphatic drainage function. In order to do this, you need to place your hand across your neck and make a deep, slow movement with strong pressure on the tissue down to the trapezius muscle. The technique is not performed on the spine itself. The same can be done with the edge of the palm from the scalp down to the shoulder joints. In the collar area, movements are performed from the fourth thoracic vertebra to the shoulder joints.
3. Before you start kneading the muscles, they must be prepared by rubbing. It improves blood flow, warms and relaxes muscle tissue. The technique is performed with skin displacement. Apply circular and linear rubbing from the base of the skull down the paravertebral zones.
When performing a technique on the collar area, circular spiral rubbing and sawing techniques are used. On the shoulder girdles, “crossing” with the radial edges of the hand is used. On the shoulder joints, rubbing is carried out along the front, middle and lateral surfaces.
4. Most of the time should be spent on kneading. The technique affects muscles, ligaments and fascia. In the paravertebral areas, the muscle is pressed against the bone and shifted in a circular motion in the direction from the spine.
In the collar area, the technique is performed in several stages: grasping the muscle, fixing and pulling away from the bone, and kneading itself. The upper and outer edges of the shoulder blade are worked very well. For deeper penetration, the technique can be performed with weights with the other hand.
5. After kneading, stroking and vibration techniques are performed: chopping, patting, tapping, shaking, point vibration.
6. The session ends with broad stroking of the collar area and the surface of the neck.
A massage session lasts no more than 15 minutes. After the procedure, it is recommended to lie down for a few minutes, as dizziness may occur due to improved blood flow.
Massage for cervical osteochondrosis at home
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be treated yourself with massage. You can learn how to do self-massage or use a massager. The massage should be done in a sitting position with your head slightly bowed. You should clasp your neck from behind with your hands and stroke from the scalp along the back of the neck down to the shoulders. When performing techniques, you need to make sure that the neck muscles do not strain.
Kneading should be deep, in the form of crushing the muscle. In the area of the paravertebral zones, pressure can be applied with pads for a few seconds. Finish the session striking techniques vibration and stroking.
In addition to the neck, it is necessary to work the trapezius muscles, shoulder joints and deltoid muscle. You can consolidate the effect of the massage with neck exercises. It is also recommended to massage at work, performing all techniques through clothing.
Treatment in acute period should include the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Collar massage It is used only after the acute pain has subsided.
Problems with the neck are often observed in those who work at the computer, with papers, or bend over the kitchen stove for a long time... If our body is in a forced monotonous position for a long time, a spasm of the neck muscles occurs. And this is fraught dangerous consequences, because overstrained muscles put pressure on the cervical vertebrae, on the vessels supplying blood to the brain and nerves that carry signals to it from internal organs. The result may be headache, And bad dream, and feeling tired, tired the next morning, memory loss, vision problems.
To prevent such consequences from occurring, you need to stretch your neck regularly. It's not that difficult.
On a note
It is very important to keep your neck relaxed while you sleep. To prevent muscles from spasming, cervical region The spine should be a continuation of the thoracic one and be on the same straight line with it. Choose your pillow carefully so that it is not too soft, too low or, conversely, high.
In the office during breaks
Experts recommend periodically performing isometric exercises for the cervical spine during the working day. During them, the neck muscles should tense as much as possible, but a short time. Since you do not make sudden movements, the exercises do not put pressure on the spine. They can be performed while sitting at the table.
Sit up straight, place your hands one on top of the other, forming a lock. Raise your hands to your chin and press your chin down. Neither the head nor the hands should move. Then relax and repeat the exercise several times.
Place your hands on your forehead. Try pressing forward with your head and resisting as hard as you can with your hands. Only the muscles above the shoulder tense, and the head and arms are motionless. After a while, relax.
Put your hands behind your head, place your palms on the back of your head. Try to tilt your head back, and apply back pressure with your hands, preventing you from doing this.
Place your palm on your temple, thumb behind the ear. Press your head against your palm, trying to bend your arm to the side, and at the same time resist this pressure with all your might. Switch hands and repeat the exercise.
By the way
The appearance of tightness in the neck area can lead to psychological stress. Against this background, hormones are released into the blood, which enhance muscle tension. If stressful situation If it drags on, it becomes chronic - muscle spasm occurs. To remove it, sometimes you need to go not only to a massage therapist, but also to a psychologist. True, there is also Feedback: When we do gymnastics to physically relax the neck, psychological tension also decreases a little.
At home after work
To relieve the tension that has accumulated during the day from the neck muscles, when you come home, you need to lie down on the floor for a while in this position: put your feet on a nearby chair, a small cushion under your lower back, and the same under your neck. This position will relieve the entire spine and relieve fatigue from the cervical region.
It’s good if you buy a nozzle for hydromassage and, screwing it onto the shower, run a strong stream of warm, almost hot water along the back and side surfaces of the neck.
For those whose necks are especially tired, you can buy a Shants collar at the pharmacy. Or make it yourself. Take a thick layer of cotton wool and roll it into a fairly tight roller to fit your neck. Then wrap with several layers of gauze, fold and sew up the edges. Sew two ties from ribbon and gauze on each side - and the collar is ready. You need to put it on by tying the ties at the back.
This type of collar is used in hospitals for various injuries cervical spine. It will come in handy when, upon returning from work, you feel heaviness in your head and tension in your neck muscles. Wear the collar for at least an hour or two while you do household chores. It is important that it secures your neck tightly - you should not be able to tilt your head. Thanks to this, the muscles from which the load has been removed will relax. And then you can start doing gymnastics - it will be great if you find time for exercise at home.
Our neck is a very vulnerable and important part of our body. It connects the brain and body, everything vitally passes through it important vessels and nerves. Therefore, it is important to maintain the health of the cervical spine. And gymnastics for the neck, which includes a whole range of exercises, will help us with this.
Let's set priorities
It’s unlikely that many people do such gymnastics on purpose. People turn their heads and stretch. They often unconsciously tilt their heads to the sides when they sit in one place for a long time. These are reflex actions aimed at warming up the neck.
If we know which exercises will best help stretch and strengthen the cervical spine, it will be easier for us to understand what exactly to do in such moments. And we will not unconsciously turn our heads.
As we have said more than once, it is important to know why we do things. The cervical gymnastics complex is very important, which is obvious:
- When the weakness of the neck muscles is pronounced, the spine experiences extra stress under the weight of the head. This leads to cervical osteochondrosis, pinched nerves, that is, pain and stiffness in movements. If the muscles are weak, they need to be strengthened mandatory from an early age. This is pain prevention.
- When you work for a long time (most people do this today, the 21st century is the century of sitting or lying down), the muscles become stiff and impede the flow of blood to the head and back to the body. Fresh blood, saturated with oxygen, enters the brain in insufficient quantities - you experience a headache, dizziness, darkening of the eyes, a powerful feeling of fatigue and a great desire to gape. It is precisely at such moments that you need to get up and stretch. And if it’s not possible, at least do a series of neck exercises. This is the prevention of strokes.
- Over the years, the mobility of the joints of the body becomes less. This can be avoided if you regularly do a therapeutic complex so that the joints do not forget about their mobility. Here's another important reason to stretch your neck.
- If you have a pinched neck or osteochondrosis, neck exercises will save you from pain and help you forget about dizziness and ringing in the ears. This is already a treatment.
Now let's look at what exercises gymnastics for the neck consists of. The main load that the cervical spine will experience is static. The main exercises for the cervical spine consist of 10 elements. The video shows the complex itself, and then you will find a detailed text description of all the exercises.
A set of exercises for the neck
- Pendulum.
- Spring.
- Goose.
- Looking to the sky.
- Frame.
- Fakir.
- Airplane.
- Heron.
- Tree.
- Stretching complex.
We have been looking for a long time for the most effective set of exercises to strengthen the neck, and decided to settle on the option proposed by osteopaths and neurologists. The names of the exercises reflect their essence.
If you experience pain while performing any of the exercises, reduce your range of motion. If this does not help, then you should not do this exercise yet.
For a weak and sore neck, only static load should be used. It’s too early to talk about dynamics. And in general, it is harmful in this case (except for stretching).
All exercises are performed sitting, back straight. Everything is done slowly and smoothly. This is a therapeutic complex for strengthening the cervical spine. Their other role is to exercise the neck.
Pendulum
From the “head straight” position, we bend to the sides. We hold our head in each extreme position for 7–10 seconds. In this position, you need to stretch a little so that it is not so easy to hold your head.
We tilt to the right. We return to the starting point and go left without stopping. We do this 3-5 times for each side.
Spring
From a straight position, we try to turn the chin inward towards the Adam's apple. At the same time, the head does not lower, but seems to turn in one place. Hold this for 10 seconds. Then we return to the starting position, stop there for 1 second and pull our chin up. The head is back in place.
So the head simply rotates up and down around its center. We do 3-5 times for each direction.
Goose
Pull your chin forward. The head follows him. Then from this position we pull the chin first to the left side of the chest and hold it for 10 seconds. We return to the starting point, freeze there for 1 second, then do the same towards the right side of the chest. Do this 3-5 times to each shoulder. All these turns are made from a position where the head is extended forward. And each time we return to the starting position, straightening our head to its normal position.
Looking to the sky
From the “head straight” position, we turn our heads to the side, as if we were looking around. We lift our heads slightly, as if we saw a plane flying in the sky from behind. Let's look at him. We fix the head in this position for up to 10 seconds. We return to the starting point, where we freeze for 1 second. Turn your head in the other direction. We make 3 turns in each direction.
Frame
We sit straight, looking forward. We place our right hand on left shoulder, elbow at the same level as the shoulder. We turn our head towards the right shoulder and place our chin on it. We sit like this for 10 seconds, then return to the starting position and lower our hand. Raise the other hand to the other shoulder. We put our chin in the other direction. Thus, this is an exercise with the head resting on the shoulders.
In the starting position we freeze for 1 second. We do 3 repetitions in each direction.
Fakir
We raise our hands and bring them together, palms facing each other, exactly above our heads. There remains about 10–15 cm from the head to the base of the palm. In this position, we turn our head to the left, resting our nose on the biceps of the arm. We sit like this for 10 seconds. On the way to the other side, we linger in the “head straight” position for 1 second. Do 3 repetitions on each side for 10 seconds.
Airplane
We spread our arms to the sides like wings. Hold for 10 seconds. We lower it, wait a couple of seconds and straighten our arms again. We do this 3 times.
Then, “lie down on the wing”, first on the right one - do it 2 times for 10 seconds. Then to the left. Also 2 times. That is, first you tilt your arms so that your right hand is higher than your left (in this position the plane makes turns), then vice versa.
Heron
We spread our arms slightly back, palms turned towards the hips, as if you are going to lean on them while sitting.
We lift our heads up, and stretch our chin there. We sit like this for 10 seconds. We return to the position where our hands are on our knees and our head is straight - we rest for 3 seconds and again pretend to be a heron. In this exercise, your task is to look like a heron 5 times.
Tree
We raise our hands above our heads, fingers facing each other. We keep our fingers at a distance of 10 cm from each other. At the same time, the head does not move, looks straight. Hold this for 10 seconds 3 times. Don't forget in starting point stopping means rest and restoration of blood flow.
All of the above exercises are performed for neck pain and for preventive purposes to train it. Static load is a magically useful thing.
Stretching
In starting position right hand let's take on left side head and pull it to the right towards the shoulder as much as possible. We fix the position for 10 seconds in the stretched phase. We return to the starting point and do the same in the other direction with the second hand. Repeat 2-3 times for each side.
Then we help you stretch forward with your hands, grabbing your head at the back of the head. The task is to touch your chest with your chin. After this, carefully and under control, tilt your head back.
We help you tilt your head diagonally to the right and left with your hands. And finally, we turn our head as far as possible to the right and left.
Forceful load on the neck - is it necessary?
There are other exercises for the cervical spine that involve the use of weights. If you are not a professional athlete, there is no point in them. Why load the neck flexors with plates when you can do without it.
The neck is formed by those muscles that are additionally pumped during hyperextension, deadlifts and other exercises.
Moreover, a static load is much more useful than a dynamic one. It allows you to strengthen your neck muscles without the risk of damaging them. But a neck injury is unacceptable. Especially if your cervical region is already not feeling its best.
That's the main point physiotherapy for the neck ends. Do it once a day and your neck will be fine!
