Sore neck? Do this one stretch to fix it yourself!

As a Manual Osteopath, neck pain is something I see on the daily, and it’s no wonder why! Working, playing, sleeping—our neck is under a lot of demand to support our needs all the time, and if it’s giving you grief, it can be down right intolerable!

The most common stretch I see clients doing to alleviate the area is tucking the chin and pulling the head down. Now, that’s not wrong, per se, but definitely misses out on a huge part of the issue: the front and sides!

The truth is, we live a forward facing life—everything is in front of us and often a little bit down. Without frequent opposition this demand over time draws us too far forward and puts a lot of compression and strain on the bigger posterior muscles that anchor our neck to the best of our body.

Almost everyone I meet could benefit from this stretch, so do your neck (and shoulders) a favour and add this one exercise into your day to feel better! 

Side neck chin lift, (AKA Scalenes+Sternocleidomastoid+ Platysma):
    
First of all, pick a side—we’re going to start with the left. Lift up your chest to position yourself. To keep your shoulder from lifting with your stretch, tuck your left arm loosely behind your back. Now, bring your right ear towards your right shoulder. When you’re really tight, you might feel this as is (remember, you’re looking for a stretch sensation on your left side). If so, go ahead and hang out here for a couple seconds, but it don't stop here! The final step is to lift your chin. Hold for about 10-15 seconds at a medium level intensity, repeating 2-3 times on each side.
    
                      **Ouch! This hurts the back of my neck!**

This stretch should not hurt, so if you’re getting posterior neck compression, it’s likely because you’re collapsing backwards when you lift your chin. Think of this movement as more of an elongation, reaching upwards, rather than caving backwards. Sometimes we lose the motor connection to do this properly when we’ve been slouching too much. Just keep trying until it feels right!
    
Pro tip:  Feels great but want a little more? Plant the opposite hand of the side you are stretching directly onto your skin under the collarbone of the side you’re stretching and glide the skin down. This engages a bit more of the Platysma and the anterior cervical fascia.

I spend most of my days bent over people, so neck tension is not a strange to me either. Personally, I like to do this a few times throughout my day, repeating left to right and changing the angle of my chin a few degrees to get more of my neck involved. It truly does make such a difference!

Remember, although it might feel good the first time, regular practice is the real key to long term results!

-Kati