Cervical spondylosis is a general term for the wear and tear of the spinal discs in the neck as we age. As the discs degenerate, signs of osteoarthritis develop. This can cause achiness and soreness as well as decreased motion in the neck.
First start off with some gentle neck stretches by turning your head from side to side like you are looking over your shoulder. This is neck rotation. Hold it for about 10-15 seconds, and go back and forth about 5 times. Next you are going to take your ear to your shoulder on each side. Make sure you are not shrugging your shoulders up. This is side bending. Hold it for about 10-15 seconds, and go back and forth about 5 times. Now bring your chin to your chest and then looking up towards the ceiling. This is neck flexion and extension. Hold it for about 10-15 seconds, and go back and forth about 5 times.
Then you are going to do isometric exercises in each direction. Basically this is when you activate the muscle, but you are not moving it. You can do this by gently pressing into your hand in each direction. Hold each one of these for 3-5 seconds.
Now place your hand under your thigh to keep your shoulder down, then side bend your head to the opposite side and gently put pressure with your other hand to get a stretch through your trapezius muscles. Hold these for 30 seconds and perform 3 times on each side.
The final stretch is going to be for your levator scapulae muscle. This is the muscle that is used when you shrug your shoulders, and they can get overworked when you are stressed out. Take your arm on the side of the pain and place it above and behind your shoulder. Then take your opposite arm and place on top and slightly behind your head. Look down towards the opposite knee of the pain and apply gentle pressure for a good stretch. Hold these for 30 seconds and perform 3 times on each side.
Cervical traction is a popular treatment for general neck pain and specific diagnoses like a pinched nerve known as radiculopathy, disc issues, arthritis, stenosis, and a few others.
A Crick in the neck usually refers to a sudden, sharp pain or tightness in the neck or surrounding muscles. It can be caused by many things because several muscles in the neck also go down into the shoulder. These neck stretches & exercises may help relieve a crick in the neck.
Neck & shoulder pain often go hand in hand. Many of the muscles in the neck go down into the shoulder area, and when they are tight and weak, they can cause pain in both areas.
One of my favorite stretches for shoulder pain relief is an arms above the head stretch. It’s great for the shoulders as well as the neck, and upper back.
As Pickleball's popularity increases, injuries from pickleball are also increasing, and shoulder pain is common from the sport. Injuries to the shoulder include rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, and bursitis. The stretches & exercises in this video can help strengthen, relieve pain, and loosen up the muscles around the shoulder and neck area.
These rotator cuff exercises are for the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, & subscapularis, and many of the muscles around the shoulder. For pain relief & rehab, it’s important to exercise all of these.
Cervical traction is a popular treatment for general neck pain relief and specific diagnoses like: a pinched nerve known as radiculopathy, disc issues, arthritis, stenosis, and a few others.
Headaches are often accompanied by neck pain. Relaxing the muscles around the neck and shoulder area with these stretches and exercise may help relieve the headache as well as the neck pain.
The number one myth about shoulder arthritis is the belief that exercise makes the condition worse. However, research has shown that regular exercise can significantly alleviate shoulder arthritis pain and enhance overall joint function.
Cervical spondylosis is a general term for the wear and tear of the spinal discs in the neck as we age. As the discs degenerate, signs of osteoarthritis develop. This can cause achiness and soreness as well as decreased motion in the neck.
