Neck Stretches

May 16, 2023 | Joel Runyon

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Stiff or tight muscles in the neck can be a pain. This type of neck pain can cause constant irritation. Whether it hurts when moving your head from side-to-side, pain that extends down into your shoulders or arms, or an annoying lingering headache, most of the time it can be remedied with the correct type of stretches.

Tight neck muscles can be caused by a variety of different issues. As is probably no surprise to anyone, our constant use of our smartphones has led to the emergence of what is called “text neck.”  When we use our phones, we assume a slumped-over position as we endlessly stare down at our screens.

The actual description of this posture is: the head forward, shoulders rounded, and back slumped. When people spend hours upon hours staring at their phones, this position, of course, can lead to issues that cause pain in our daily lives.

Stretches for Your Neck

According to Healthline, when tilted forward, the weight of the head can compress the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the front of the neck while lengthening them in the back of the neck. If you’re someone who stares down at your screen or hunts Pokemon on the regular, you can definitely develop some neck stiffness that will bother you even after you’ve caught them all.

Sometimes, the pain in your neck might just be caused from sleeping in a weird position. If you’ve ever woken up in the morning with a stiff neck, chances are this is what occurred. Obviously, strenuous exercise or unusual movements can also cause tightness or even trauma to these muscles.

Symptoms of neck issues could be any of the following: muscle tightness or stiffness, spasms occurring in the neck, pain while turning your head, or pain in certain head positions.

With some of these issues, exposing the neck to different ranges of motion can help relieve the pain. When the muscles are in the same position for extended periods of time, it is no surprise that they can begin to tense up. Putting your neck or head in different, gentle positions can help loosen things up within the neck and shoulders.

Of course, if the pain that you’re experiencing in your neck is severe, please seek professional help. You could benefit from the advice and treatment of a licensed doctor, specialist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist. Please be smart and make the best decision for yourself and your situation.

But, for the majority of us, we could benefit greatly from incorporating more stretching in our lives. Developing a routine to do this daily could help resolve your issues or prevent future pain. Stretching your neck can ease a range of other issues while helping you complete your day to day movements without pain.

Get your neck to MoveWell and those Pokemon will never escape you.

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Joel Runyon

Joel is the founder of IMPOSSIBLE and the founder of MoveWell. Joel founded MoveWell after sustaining an injury while running an ultra marathon on every continent. Joel is writes about mobility, pain management and health and wellness overall.

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