The evil neck. I would say close to 90% of the patients I see complain of some type of neck pain. Whether it be neck stiffness or uncomfortability. Whether it be an acute episode or chronically feeling tension there.
The neck is really the culprit of much muscular and structural tension and the reason has everything to do with the position of our head.
Everyone knows they have a forward neck posture. That’s something that has been overly-stated in magazines and health journals. However, no one can clearly explain why this is happening and how to prevent it from worsening or even how to make it better.
To improve this forward position of your neck the first thing that must be done is to create space. We need to create space specifically in the back of the ribcage, to allow space for the head and neck to shift backwards. How do we do this? From deep breathing in a child’s pose or all fours position with a focus on slow and controlled inhalation, as you are reaching the upper back of your ribcage behind you (towards the ceiling). This will create expansion of the back of the ribcage and in fact, make more room for you to shift your head and neck backwards.
Then next thing you do is learn how to wake up and strengthen the deep neck muscles that can stabilize the neck. You can do this with a slight* chin tuck (chin towards chest) and a focus on shifting head and neck backwards. I personally like to lay on the ground on my back, and place a towel under my head and neck. I then perform a slight chin tuck with a thumb under my chin as a tactile cue and then begin to press my head and neck flat behind me into the towel. Now these stabilizing muscles of the neck have the ability to stabilize each specific segment of your neck, so you must have good focus and visualization to attempt to press down at every single segment of your neck, left and right side. I like to start at the point behind my head and visualize pressing backward into the towel every inch downward, holding each spot for 5-10 seconds. I do this until I get to the lowest point of my neck. You may find it difficult to press down into one or two specific areas of the neck and maybe more difficult on left or right side. That’s where you focus your energy and intention on.
The last thing you must do is begin to use your vision to you move your head and neck. Believe it or not, but your vision and your neck muscles are deeply connected. In fact, as you move your eyes all the way to the left or all the way to the right (without moving your head), your neck muscles actually turn on, as a preparatory measure, everytime you do so. So if you want your head and neck to change its position and if you want to take control of your neck muscles (motor control), you will have to challenge your vision in different directions. I like to perform a mini-wall sit and have a yoga block at my mid back. I then do these large visual circles, where I look all the way down (while moving my head and neck), then look all the way to the right, look up the way up to the right, up across the ceiling until I get to the left, and back around until my head and neck are looking down towards the ground again. I do this for 5 times one way and 5 times the other way.
So there you have it, a little synopsis of how to improve your head and neck position and also how to take back control of your neck muscles. Try this stuff out and let me know if you notice a difference with your head and neck position and/or neck tension.
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