Neck Pain Relief with Exercise and Lifestyle

If you experience neck pain or tension, there are several exercises and natural therapies that will give you relief. For ongoing relief, incorporate these into a daily self-care regimen.

First, practice self-care for your upper body. If you focus just on your neck, you are probably missing the greater source of your tension. Neck muscles are connected to your head, scapulae (shoulders), chest, and back, so imbalances in your upper body contribute to neck pain.

Neck pain, Upper back tension?

Second, get aerobic exercise every day. What is aerobic exercise? It's continuous, rhythmic exercise that exerts large muscles for 20+ minutes. It's a whole-body workout. Walking, hiking, swimming, and cycling are examples. How does this ease neck pain? Aerobic exercise boosts circulation, delivers oxygen to the muscles and other organs, loosens muscles and tissues, moves lymph (for immunity) and boosts brainpower. It helps mood, digestion, and sleep, too! By getting a whole-body workout that affects all of your organs and tissues, it relieves neck stiffness and promotes healing.

If you are not getting exercise every day, make a schedule. Work up to 3-5 days/week, then 5-7 days/week. Until you are training for an athletic event, or getting rigorous exercise every day, you don't need to include rest days. You can walk, or do some form of aerobic exercise, every day. Your body will thank you as your overall health improves and pain lessens.

If you exercise outdoors, you will also experience the mental lift of fresh air, being outdoors, and connecting to nature.

Third, practice neck and upper body stretches. These are best done when muscles are warmed up, such as after a workout. Look left, look right, look up, look down. Gently move your arms and shoulders. Stretch tall, lengthen your sides. Do gentle twists to lubricate your spine.

Make stretching a family practice

Practice yoga. Be gentle with yourself. If you take a class, inform your instructor of any pain or limitations you're experiencing. Instructors can guide you to make modifications (if they are aware of your needs). Avoid forceful movements, or moves that intensify any pain you are feeling. Stretching deeply may be uncomfortable, but it should not cause pain, tingling, or "zapping" sensations.

Some great yoga stretches, or asanas, for necks include Cat-Cow, Spinal Twists, Thread the Needle, and postures that naturally use gravity to traction the neck, such as forward bends, Downward-facing Dog, and Dolphin pose. Other upper body stretches include 1/2 Camel and Camel, Locust or Bow, Reverse Table-top, and other "heart openers" like Cobra and Sphinx, and Triangle poses. Restorative Yoga is a great way to loosen the upper body: Savasana with a folded blanket placed horizontally under the shoulders feels amazing. Look for Restorative Yoga classes at a yoga studio near you if you prefer a slow, gentle approach or you need modifications for limited flexibility. "If it's in pain, it's inflamed. Cool the flame". If your neck is especially sore, apply a cool gel-pack to your shoulders and upper back. Heat may feel good temporarily, but cooling can reduce inflammation that is causing neck pain.

Get a Massage

Massage: Get a massage. Tell your Massage Therapist where you are feeling tension or pain, and what that feels like. Your therapist will customize your massage to address those areas. Your session should treat your whole body, with an emphasis on your upper body.

Lifestyle hack: Reduce screen time! When you're on your phone, or on a computer, your posture isn't the best. Your torso and shoulders are pulled forward, which can strain your neck. Believe it or not, laptops are horrible for your neck. If you work on a laptop computer, elevate it slightly so that you are not looking down the whole time: try to look eye-level at the screen instead. Use apps and timers to remind yourself to spend less time looking at screens.

Make time to de-stress. Schedule time in your day for self-care that relieves stress, including exercise, meditation, relaxation, and "me-time". Music? Candles? Aromatherapy? Forest-bathing? Conscious breathing? Add these to your self-care activities. Create de-stressing rituals.

Lastly, if you have had injuries or surgeries that are contributing to neck pain, see a Physical Therapist, orthopedist, or osteopathic physician. Do not attempt rigorous exercise (except under medical guidance) if you have physical limitations or reduced sensation, such as neuropathy, diabetes, heart conditions, or previous surgeries.

With devotion to a self-care regimen, you can reduce neck muscle tension and pain.

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