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Getting Rid of that Pain in the Neck!

by | Feb 20, 2023 | Lifestyle & Wellness, Lifestyle habits, Wellness

Do you find yourself struggling more and more with neck and shoulder pains lately? This could be due to stress from working long hours on end at the desk. However, it could also be your body telling you that you are not so young anymore!

One of the things that makes us realize we are getting older is when we start feeling aches and pains more frequently in our body and we gradually begin to lose our flexibility. As we age, many changes occur in our body leading to increased rigidity of tendons and ligaments as well as tightness in the joints.

While we may shrug these early aging signs off as minor annoyances, decreased flexibility over extended periods of time will lead to losses in our range of motion and prevent us from enjoying certain activities. Fortunately, there are ways for us to slow down these changes and maintain a good range of motion for longer periods of time. One good way of doing so, is to incorporate simple stretches into our daily routines. As the saying goes, “use it or lose it”! It is important to maintain a consistent daily practice of simple stretches in order to maintain our flexibility and range of motion for longer periods of time.

In this post, we will be sharing some simple stretches to help relief tightness and pains in the neck and shoulders. Before we begin, there are a few simple rules to remember when engaging in stretches.

 

1. When engaging in stretches, your body should be in a relaxed state.
This state of relaxation can be reached by starting each stretch session with some deep breathing exercises. Come to a comfortable seated or standing position, keeping you body upright but not tensed. Breathe naturally, then, slowly begin to deepen your breathing. Gradually, extend your out-going breath so that it is longer than the breathes you take in. Do this a couple of rounds until you come to a stable and relaxed state.

2. Let time and gravity help you to enter deeper into the stretches.
Sudden jerks and snapping action can result in strained muscles and tendons, causing some pain to the body. When engaging in stretches, avoid ‘bouncing’ and sudden tensing of the muscles. Instead, enter into the postures slowly and gradually, letting time, your body weight and gravity help deepen the stretch for you. Keep breathing steadily when stretching to keep your body in a relaxed state.

3. Avoid sharp pains
While it is normal to feel aching sensations and even some dull pains when engaging in stretches, sharp pains should be avoided as they can result in injury. To avoid sharp pains, enter into your postures gradually and ease off a little when you begin to sense your body tensing up.

With the above rules in mind, here are some simple stretches you can incorporate into your daily routine to help mange neck and shoulder pains:

 

 

1. Side Bend

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Slowly begin to tilt you head so that your right ear gradually leans towards your right
    shoulder. You should start to feel the stretch on the left side of your neck.
  • When you reach the point where you can feel a tight but not painful stretch, hold that
    position for 10-30 seconds. Keep breathing deeply and steadily.
  • Slowly return your head to the center and repeat the above, tilting your left ear towards
    your left shoulder for a stretch on the right side of your neck.

 

2. Wing Span

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Raise your right hand straight up, palm facing forward.
  • Slowly bend your elbow until your palm is lightly pressing into the lower back of your
    neck, in-between your shoulder blades.
  • Reach your left hand straight down, palm facing backward.
  • Slowly bend your elbow until the back of your hand is pressing lightly into the middle of
    your back, just below your right hand.
  • Once you are in a stable comfortable position, slightly tilt your head upwards and puff
    your chest. Hold the stretch for 10-30 seconds, keeping a steady breath.
  • Return to center and repeat on the other side.

 

3. Lateral Neck Rotation

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Keeping a level gaze, slowly turn your head towards the right, looking just past your
    right shoulders. You should feel a stretch on the left side of the neck and a compression
    on the right side of the neck.
  • Hold the stretch for 10-30 seconds, keeping a steady breath.
  • Return to center and repeat on the other side.

 

4. Shoulder Shrug

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Gently roll back your shoulders and let them fall naturally at the sides.
  • Keeping your head and neck still, gradually pull both shoulders up towards your ears, as
    far as you can go.
  • Hold for 2 seconds before rolling back the shoulders and letting them fall to the sides
    again.
  • Repeat for 5-10 sets

 

5. Back and Forward Bend

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Keeping your chest still, let your gaze drop downwards until your chin is tucked into
    your neck.
  • Hold the stretch for 10-30 seconds, keeping a steady breath.
  • Return to upright position
  • Keeping your chest still, tilt your head upwards until you are looking at the ceiling and
    your chin is pointing up.
  • Hold the stretch for 10-30 seconds, keeping a steady breath.
  • Return to upright position
  • Repeat for 2-5 sets.

 

6. 360 Neck Rotation

  • Come to an upright seated or standing position.
  • Keep your head levelled and centered, looking at a single point in the horizon.
  • Keeping a level gaze, slowly turn your head towards the right, looking just past your
    right shoulders.
  • Slowly rotate your head anti-clockwise, allowing your gaze to trace an arc across the sky
    until you are looking past your left shoulder.
  • Follow though the rotation gazing down toward the chin then past your right shoulder
    again.
  • Repeat for 3-5 rotations before changing direction.
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Growing Needs grew out of our own encounters with caring for our aging parents and reflecting on the Growing Needs that we ourselves would face as we advance in years. We hope to build a community that will learn, share and contribute towards caring for the growing needs of our loved ones.

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