Cervical stenosis, or spinal stenosis of the neck, is a common cause of neck pain. Basically it’s a narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck area or upper part of the spine.
Cervical stenosis puts pressure on the spinal cord or the nerves in the neck causing neck pain.
The first set of exercises for cervical stenosis will combine isometrics with active range of motion (AROM). Isometric exercises are a great way to activate the muscles without movement. This will also help with relaxing the muscles to get more movement, so adding the AROM afterwards really helps gain motion.
Next are chin tucks. These are one of my favorite exercises/stretches for neck and shoulder pain. They also help with posture to “reset” the neck muscles, and decrease painful spasms.
Finally you will do full stretches of the upper traps, levator scapulae, and anterior scalenes. All these muscles around the neck are very important in proper movement. Also, when they are tight, they can cause a lot of pressure on the cervical spine.
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