The accumulated loads of stress, sedentary lifestyle, and carelessness in our daily life habits have different consequences, which remind us that we must be prudent with our health and give it the time it deserves. Much of the stress from stress accumulates in the neck, shoulders, and upper back-reflected through pain and stiffness in these hard-to-ignore areas.
Therefore, at FastlyHealwe bring you simple and practical exercises to relieve neck and shoulder pain, to do in the comfort of your home or even in your office during a short break.
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Locate the exact pain point
A series of slow, deep, full breaths allows you to begin relieving any pain. If we talk about shoulder and upper back pain, they can help us clarify which specific part is presenting the pain to do more appropriate exercises for each area.
To locate the pain with the breaths, it is essential that they are complete (inhaling to your maximum capacity and exhaling everything) because this requires the distension and contraction of the muscles that may be tense.
Arm and shoulder stretches
The shoulder is a complex joint that can present pain from various causes. These can be muscular, bone, immune, joint and nervous. If both shoulders hurt, the root is more likely to be a nerve, such as a stenosis, cervical hernia, or peripheral neuropathy.
The first exercise for these situations, effective even against the frozen shoulder, is to take the elbow with the opposite hand and push it back at the level of the neck and slightly turn the torso towards the side to which you are bringing the arm. Maintain a conscious breath during the exercise to maximize the effect, exhaling by intermittently increasing the push of the arm back.
If the pain is bilateral (both shoulders) or it is confirmed that its cause is nervous, it may be more convenient to perform arm stretches, both to the sides and up, with the palms together, stretching the arms fully to the tips of the fingers, for several minutes.
Due to its simplicity, this posture serves not only as an isolated movement but also as a complement to other therapeutic exercises that you can take advantage of, such as these exercises to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Head turns for neck pain
If your pain is focused on the neck, start making slow, wide turns of the head, moving the head in circles first to the right and then to the left, inhaling as you go up one side and exhaling as you descend the opposite side. Repeat ten cycles to one side and then proceed in the opposite direction.
You must be careful not to throw your head back; the circle you draw involves bringing your head back slightly, but not too much. As variants, you can raise and lower your head (as if saying yes) or make horizontal movements (denying).
Keep your chin slightly back constantly to ensure that the pain is not from poor posture. This action not only puts your neck in a more secure position and reduces pain but also provides relaxation.
Hand, shoulder, and neck stretch
For this pose, sit comfortably or stand and place both palms open in front of your chest, one facing your chest and the other facing you. From there, cross them together and keep them together. The arms have to be kept parallel to the ground. The steps to follow to do this exercise for neck and shoulder pain after getting into this initial position are as follows:
- Inhale deeply.
- Hold the air and forcefully pull both hands out as if you want to separate them, but they stay together.
- Hold as long as you can, and then exhale in a controlled way through your nose as you relax the applied tension.
- You can use the pressure again after you’ve exhaled all the air.
- Take 3-5 breaths with this exercise.
Variants of this exercise for neck and shoulder pain
- If the pain is in the shoulders or upper back, apply this exercise with your hands at heart level.
- If the pain is between the shoulders and the neck, use it with your hands at throat level.
Shoulder twists, lifts, and contractions
This is another classic exercise for shoulder health. It starts with circular movements, inhaling when you raise them and exhaling when you lower them. Do ten slow reps and then change direction. You can also do slow vertical movements. For these exercises to be more effective, it may be necessary to do exercises for the whole back first since the shoulders can accumulate pain that arises from tensions that start down.
Another excellent option to relieve excessive tension in your shoulders is to inhale, and while holding the air, contract your shoulders and hands into a fist forcefully, as if accumulating all the stress that you feel accumulated and then releasing it with force with an exhalation through the mouth, while you relax everything.
Do this exercise 3 times or as many as you need to reduce stress. By helping you relax in general, it can also help you before you go to sleep.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Exercises to relieve neck and shoulder pain, we recommend that you enter our Bones, Joints, and Muscles category.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.