If you’re one of many people who have neck pain throughout the day, give these following stretches a try to bring pain relief.
Levator Scapula Stretch: Start by turning your head halfway between looking straight ahead and to your side. Using the hand in the direction you are looking, gently apply pressure to the back of your head pulling in the direction you are looking. As you maintain this pressure, begin to tilt the chin towards the ceiling until you feel a comfortable stretch in the back of your neck. Maintain pressure for 30 seconds to a minute while taking relaxing deep breathes before repeating on the other side.
Scalene Stretch: Start standing with arms at the side. Keep shoulders down and relaxed as you side bend your ear to your shoulder. With the arm in which your head is leaning, gently pull downward on your head. With the other arm, you can reach for the floor to intensify the stretch. Continue to take deep breathes and be sure to stretch the other side.
Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) Stretch: Simply tilt the head back as far as you can. To increase the stretch, pucker your lips and pretend you’re trying to kiss the ceiling. The goal of that is to protract your jaw in order to further stretch muscles in front of your neck.
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