In my Chiropractic office we treat a lot of neck injuries with exercise. The Chiropractic adjustment and exercise helps neck problems along with headaches and other problems that start at the top of the spine. We find a lot of weak muscles which cause instability and perpetuate the problems the patient has come in for. The neck is the most flexible part of your spine and just like any other area of the body, movement exercises and good postures are important to maintain its health. Neck pains can be brought on or aggravated by how you treat this vital structure. We often neglect our neck when it comes to exercises, focusing instead on our legs or heart. So try these helpful hints and incorporate them into your daily routine.
With neck exercises, moving your neck slowly through all its ranges is key. It is important to do pure movements rather than combinations, rolling the neck around like a ball and socket joint (such as the hip or shoulder) is to be avoided. What I find is that if there is any joint in the neck that are not working perfectly, combination movements can further jam these joints. Instead, flex the neck forward until your chin touches the top of your chest. Then, slowly bend your neck backwards, chin to the sky. These movements should not cause pain if they are done slowly and you have no pre-existing injury but of course if there is any pain you should discontinue the movement and have your neck evaluated.
The next neck exercise movement is side bending and is accomplished by trying to bend either ear towards the shoulder. Do this in front of a mirror so that you keep your head straight looking forward. Note whether you can do this movement the same amount to each side. This is a great exercise to stretch the side neck muscles as well as the tight ligaments and tendons.
The last movement is rotation. Simply rotate your chin slowly so that you are looking over one shoulder. None of these movements should cause pain or make you dizzy. If they do, then it’s a sign you have a neck injury and need to be seen by a chiropractor or other physician. Again, note if you can do the same amount of movement to the right and left.
We at Grant Chiropractic Health Center firmly believe that exercise is the key to decreasing pain along with good and safe chiropractic adjustments. Visit our website http://southingtonchiropractor.com/custom_content/c_103306_services_and_products_offered.html to see some of the things we recommend.
In my Chiropractic office we treat a lot of neck injuries with exercise. The Chiropractic adjustment and exercise helps neck problems along with headaches and other problems that start at the top of the spine. We find a lot of weak muscles which cause instability and perpetuate the problems the patient has come in for. The neck is the most flexible part of your spine and just like any other area of the body, movement exercises and good postures are important to maintain its health. Neck pains can be brought on or aggravated by how you treat this vital structure. We often neglect our neck when it comes to exercises, focusing instead on our legs or heart. So try these helpful hints and incorporate them into your daily routine.
With neck exercises, moving your neck slowly through all its ranges is key. It is important to do pure movements rather than combinations, rolling the neck around like a ball and socket joint (such as the hip or shoulder) is to be avoided. What I find is that if there is any joint in the neck that are not working perfectly, combination movements can further jam these joints. Instead, flex the neck forward until your chin touches the top of your chest. Then, slowly bend your neck backwards, chin to the sky. These movements should not cause pain if they are done slowly and you have no pre-existing injury but of course if there is any pain you should discontinue the movement and have your neck evaluated.
The next neck exercise movement is side bending and is accomplished by trying to bend either ear towards the shoulder. Do this in front of a mirror so that you keep your head straight looking forward. Note whether you can do this movement the same amount to each side. This is a great exercise to stretch the side neck muscles as well as the tight ligaments and tendons.
The last movement is rotation. Simply rotate your chin slowly so that you are looking over one shoulder. None of these movements should cause pain or make you dizzy. If they do, then it’s a sign you have a neck injury and need to be seen by a chiropractor or other physician. Again, note if you can do the same amount of movement to the right and left.
We at Grant Chiropractic Health Center firmly believe that exercise is the key to decreasing pain along with good and safe chiropractic adjustments. Visit our website http://southingtonchiropractor.com/custom_content/c_103306_services_and_products_offered.html to see some of the things we recommend.