Neck Exercises to Improve Mobility and Decrease Pain
Overview
If you have pain in your neck, try this neck exercise to help strengthen and balance your neck muscles and decrease the pain.
Level
Beginner
Targets
Neck, back
Step by Step Instructions
- Lie on your back on a bed or the floor.
- Place your palms over your cheeks (one hand on each side).
- Keep your head and neck neutral—don’t tip your chin up or down.
- Press your head forward into your hands as if to move it, but don’t let the head actually move (isometric contraction).
- Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
- Repeat until you’ve done 15 reps.
- Complete 3 sets total.
- You should feel the front-of-neck muscles working; keep the movement resisted (no actual neck motion).
[Video Transcript]
If you’re experiencing neck pain, it may be due to an imbalance in your neck muscles. Many people develop tight muscles in the back of the neck and shoulders and weak muscles in the front because so much of life happens in front of us—hours on computers, phones, tablets, books, or driving. The head drifts forward, the back-of-neck muscles work hard to pull it back, and the front-of-neck muscles aren’t used as much as they should be.
To strengthen the front of the neck and restore balance, try this isometric exercise on a bed or the floor. Lying on your back, place your palms over your cheeks. Gently press your head forward into your hands as if you were trying to move it, but do not let the head actually move, this is an isometric contraction. Hold the press for five seconds, then relax. You should feel the muscles at the front of your neck working. Perform three sets of fifteen repetitions, keeping the neck neutral and avoiding any actual forward motion.
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