Side of Neck Stretch
Sit on a chair, bench, etc. that is somewhat firm and ideally has something to hold onto, such as a chair leg. Sit towards the edge or at least avoid relaxing against a back rest. The key to this stretch is maintaining good upright posture (flat back, spine in neutral position).
There are a few different ways to do the stretch, depending on how healthy/strong your neck muscles are. Always be conservative with neck stretches, because neck muscles are easy to overstretch and a stretch that’s too intense will be counterproductive and could cause an injury.
Option 1: The easiest version of the stretch involves just letting your head bend straight to the side. Avoid rotating your neck or raising/lowering your chin. Just let you head drop to the side and gravity will do the work.
Option 2: If you don’t feel much of a stretch with this version, the next step is to hold on to something (chair leg, side of a bench, etc.) For example, if you are stretching the right side of your neck, your head will move to the left and you should hold on to something with your right hand.
Option 3: If that still doesn’t give you a stretch, add a slight pull with your other hand. Take the hand that isn’t holding on and put it on the side of your head. If your head is moving to the left, your hand should be on the right. Then you can add a little pressure with your hand, in the direction your head is moving to increase the amount of stretch.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and stop if you feel any discomfort. If the stretch doesn’t feel right, you may be pulling too hard or in the wrong direction or you may have too much curve in your back.
[wlsp_jvftbasecontentvaluablebanners]
