Your stiff neck could have come from many everyday occurrences. It could have been caused by the awkward position you woke up in, or the repetitive head movements you were doing when stuffing brochures at work could be the culprit. Such factors as these can easily lead to a stiff and painful neck. Often, these symptoms can be decreased by doing some quick and easy neck stretches, and there are two stretches in particular that can help reduce how long your stiff neck lasts.
- Side tilt
One neck stretch that can help reduce how long a stiff neck lasts is the side tilt. The movement in this stretch allows you to target muscles on the side of the neck, and this can be helpful when that’s where your neck feels stiff.
You can do this therapeutic exercise while standing up or while seated in a stable chair, but in both cases, you should make sure your back is straight and your head is level before you start. After you’ve gotten into the correct starting position, slowly tilt your head to the right. You can stop tilting when you feel a moderate stretch in the left side of your neck, and you should then hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Next, return your head to the starting position and repeat the steps to stretch the other side of the neck. In all, you should try to stretch each side of your neck two to three times.
- Neck rolls
Neck rolls are another stretch that can help decrease how long your neck stiffness lasts. The exercise targets the muscles at the front, sides and back of the neck, making it ideal for reducing stiffness and pain.
As with the side tilt, this exercise can be performed while sitting or standing, and its starting position should involve having good upright posture in your back and neck. From this starting position, allow your chin to drop down to your chest. Then slowly begin rotating your head clockwise. To increase the effectiveness of the stretch, you can try pausing for two or three seconds at various points in the rotation. Continue rotating your head clockwise until you’ve done five to 10 complete rotations, and then you can switch directions to complete five to 10 rotations in the counterclockwise direction.
Help from Peak Performance can decrease how long a stiff neck lasts
There are many ways you can shorten how long your stiff neck lasts, and one way is to visit us at Peak Performance. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the cause and severity of your neck issues. Our team also has therapy techniques that can be combined to create a personalized therapy plan for you, and some of these techniques are:
- Therapeutic exercises
- Ergonomic training
- Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
- Dry needling
Don’t wait any longer to start getting our help with your neck problems. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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