This is Dana Ranahan at Body Works Sports Physiotherapy in North Vancouver and we’re here today to show you a video about neck stabilization exercises, or postural retraining.
The deep neck flexors in the front of the neck need to be strengthened. This is to help balance out the tightness in the back of the neck that we suffer in our day to day lives, from things like computer work, driving for long periods, or after a neck or whiplash injury.
In this case Holly is going to demonstrate a technique that we use to help retrain the deep neck flexors for neck stabilization.
- Lie down with a pillow behind your head and a small towel rolled up behind your neck.
- In this position the deep neck flexors run deeply along the front of the neck
- Now do a little nodding exercise first just like you’re saying hello, nodding back and forth.
- Then we’re going think about lengthening the neck.
- So as you nod your chin in, think about lengthening your neck as if someone is pulling a string through the top of the head
- Lengthen your neck out so you get some stretch through the back of the neck as well
- Work on breathing to keep the chest soft.
Maintain a hold for 5 to 10 seconds then let go. In this case you should probably feel a little bit of fatigue as you repeat it. Aim for 10 or 15 repetitions, 2 or 3 sets.