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Improve Posture and Reduce Neck Pain With This Exercise.
The most common problem I see in my Chiropractic Center in Barcelona is stiffness and soreness at the base of the neck. Chiropractic gets fantastic results with this. In fact, it’s my specialty because I see so many people with it!
In the modern lifestyle, we spend a lot of time with our head forward and down—looking at mobile phones, laptops, reading—and this causes joint restriction and muscle tightness at the base of the neck. Sitting in bed or a sofa with the head pushed forward is another common cause, plus stress can add to the problem.
A great exercise to help loosen the muscles (strengthened muscles are more relaxed) and mobilise the lower neck vertebra is this…
- Laying face down on a bed, with a pillow under your chest (so your face is not too squashed), alternatively relax then pull you head back… 10 times slowly. No more! Make sure you are looking straight DOWN the whole time. Not looking forward! Don’t lift your chest (or feet) off the ground, only the head, and don’t push with your arms.
- If you’ve got problems in the actual shoulder joint as well, you can lift your arms at the same time, squeezing the LOWER part of shoulder blades together and down as you lift. Don’t squeeze the trapezius muscles at the base of your neck—try to keep them loose.
- This exercise is usually is quite comfortable to do. Don’t do it if it hurts. It works the muscles quite hard, so do not do more than 10, even if it feels easy. (If you do too much, you will tighten the muscles not relax them!)
NOTE***If the condition is chronic, I usually find restricted vertebrae that need to be loosened, and it won’t improve without adjustments to free these joints, but this exercise can really help the muscular side of things***
Apart from neck pain, vertebral restriction at the base of the neck can cause headaches, dizziness, and affect your health and well-being by irritating your central nervous system.
Click here to find out more about the first visit and what to expect.
Stefan Becker
Sarrià Quiropràctica
