Neck Exercises to Release Tension
Description
When life's a pain in the neck, these exercises can help release tension.
Transcript
Neck Exercises to Release Tension
Female 1: I’m going to show you a couple of great exercises to do to take care of your neck pain and the first one we’re going to do, you need to lay on your back.
Female 2: I’m so happy that you’re here to show us the—
Female1: Oh finally you get spoiled, huh?
Female: 2 I know and you know I know that I’m supposed to do this and I don’t and I really have a lot of neck and shoulder pains.
Female 1: Well this you can do before you get out of bed in the morning. It’s going to make it so much easier if you just put, you’re going to put a little towel or maybe a small pillow underneath your shoulders and now what I want you to do is the simple exercise called the neck up. You’re just going to take your chin and tuck it to your chest, right and then come back and that forces you to work those muscles that are lazy and don’t get used in our normal everyday life.
Female 2: I was just going to say is there anything else that we do that actually works this?
Female 1: Not much unless you’re doing the sit-up improperly.
Female 2: Right there you go and I’ll be yelling at you. There are no hard muscles in your neck.
Female1: So you’ll just do this until you start to feel it and then you relax a little bit and then you can do another set after that but let me show you another one you can do for the muscles on the side of your neck. Just turn to your side and now I want you to just bring your ear up towards your shoulders and you’re going to contract those neck muscles on the side and then stretch them and contract. Feel those kicking in already?
Female 2: I do.
Female1: I see them working.
Female 2: Is there one particular muscle that we’re aiming for here?
Female1: Well, we’re going to try and do a well rounded neck and upper back exercise to support the head which is it’s about 8 to 10 pounds and then we’d remember to do the other side too.
Female 2: Of course, I don’t want to walk around all lopsided.
Female1: But I’ve got one more so that we’d be sure to strengthen the ones in the back of the neck as well so they’re more balanced. So let’s have you lay on your stomach.
Female 2: Switch around here so the folks at home can see this.
Female1: And now I’m going to have you put your head on your hands, there you go. Now as you bring your head up, I want your hands to stay up with you. So come on up perfect and now I want you to press your head down into your hands but go all the way down to the mat. Perfect. Now, let’s do that a few times.
Female 2: I can really feel that. All I can feel it all right in here.
Female1: Exactly, so we’re not going to just focus on only the back of the neck muscles, we’re going to focus on all these muscles that run all the way down in your spine and let’s do that a few more times and you can go a little bit more quickly but you’re going to resist against your head as you push down with your hands.
Now these are called weighted exercises. So you’re just going to use the weight of your head to do these exercises. You don’t have to use dumb bells or—
Female 2: Yeah that’s plenty of weight. Right to her.
Female1: Right. It is.
Female 2: Now the round 10 or until you’re really fatigue.
Female1: Exactly. So that’s what you do as at home but now if you want to do something when you’re at your desk.
Female 2: Well that’s just what we’re talking before. I mean halfway through my day I’ve been at my desk for about three hours straight and I feel like my head is just going to fall off. What do I do?
Female1: Well, let’s get a chair and I’ll demonstrate what you can do at your desk.
Female 2: I’ll grab a chair.
Female1: Okay great. The thing too is like you just get kind of stressed at all especially working.
Female 2: And I know I work around at my office. I work in an office and everybody is kind of rubbing their own necks. I’m going to put my hair up here so we can see what we’re talking about. Give me a professional look there.
Female1: Yeah you’ll have a secret weapon. So we’re going to do some isometric exercises now which means you’re not going to use any weight but you’re just going to use resistance of your hands and you’re going to keep everything lined up. So you’re going to keep your neck lined up with your torso but now I just want you to put pressure on your hands but push forward as you resist against your head with your hands.
Now I can see all these muscles contract and you could probably feel that and relax. Now go again and push but try and keep everything lined up, that is perfect and relax. Now this is also increasing the blood flow to your brain.
Female 2: I’m feeling smarter. I need every second that goes by.
Female1: And if you have a deadline you need to meet, you might want to take a little break at your desk and do these exercises. Now the counter balance stop we’re going to move your hands.
Female 2: But really it’s amazing how much -- I mean even though I’m working this I feel just so much pressure and tension melt away. Every time I relax after that it is amazing, it’s working instantly.
Female1: Sometimes people say they feel lighter too and press against it now. We’re going the opposite direction that is great for my health.
Female 2: I get the headaches a lot as well and I could. I already know that this is really going to help.
Female1: That will help.
Female 2: Tension headaches.
Female1: And if you’re getting headaches check to make sure you’re drinking enough water because that’s the number one cause of headaches is dehydration but press. Okay, good. Now let me show you one of the tricky one that you can do at your desk. We’re going to put your hands down but just kind of shake it a little bit.
Female 2: Yeah. Now with stretching in terms of — I know that we just work those muscles, do we want to stretch them?
Female1: Right, here’s kind of a stretch and isometric exercise together. I want you to bring your fingertips up toward the ceiling. Pretend like you’re pressing columns between your hands here and now what I want you to do is drop your ear to your shoulder and feel that stretch.
Female 2: Oh my gosh! Yeah, I feel it all the way out to my fingertips.
Female1: It kind of just shoots down there and then back to the middle, take a deep breath, press again and now I’m just checking to make sure your ears lined up with your shoulder.
Female 2: Posture please.
Female1: Perfect.
Female 2: Love it.
Female1: All right and back together and arms down at your side and just kind of relax a little bit, take a deep breath and then oh the phone rings, it’s the boss but you’re relaxed. You can handle it.
Female 2: That’s right, bring it on.
Female 1: Because you did the exercises.
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