Stiff Neck? Free Up with Self-Help Power Moves

Have you ever woken up with a kink in your neck or had days where things just feel bound up and tight at the base of your skull? How freely can you move your head and neck around?

When your neck and head feel tight and restricted, or perhaps a little crackly, it can be nice to have some go-to power moves that you can do on your own to tune yourself help without having to seek outside help like a chiropractor or manual therapist. We aren’t adverse to it, of course, but there are some things that you can try to get things freed up and moving more smoothly.

With 7 bones/vertebrae, the neck is able to rotate, flex and bend in a variety of ways. The first 2 vertebrae are a bit unique in their shape and function, but form near the skull and combined with the other 5, they allow for greater range of motion to move the head than the others. The neck can indeed cause some not so fun symptoms when it’s not 100% like headaches, vertigo, and pain amongst other things.

Even if you’re just feeling a bit stiff, give this quick neck mobilization a try. It may just work for you!

If you missed our last mobility focused drill on the feet, you can find that here.

Order of Operations:

A great order for your stiff neck may involve some self massage, some stretches and mobilizations, then followed by some integration type power moves to get you feeling good as new. As usual, you can keep this very quick and simple and just do :20-:30 per movement with a a few times through, 10 reps with some brief holds if you like to count, or spend a little longer with the ones you want more of until things feel right.

As we ALWAYS like to mention, if you get 3-5 minutes of motion every 1-2 hours, that makes up almost 20-60 minutes of extra movement every single day which really adds up!

Joey shows some fairly straight forward self massage moves you can do followed by some assisted stretches and mobility moves, with some final power moves to integrate the neck in with the shoulders in specific postures. We demonstrate things that involve little to no equipment or can be substituted for something else like a floor or office chair arms and surface (*wink wink* if you’ve been sitting for a long time before reading this, that may be you!)

Stiff Neck Movement Snack Rundown: 30 seconds each or 10-15 reps (if you like to count)

• Self Massage and Stretch:

• Start by passively stretching your neck where you feel tightness. Use the back of your knuckles

  or finger tips to gently stretch the tissue

• Stretch and Mobilize:

• Add a resistance band to help brace your shoulders while you actively move your neck around

  in various directions and planes.

• You can also use the weight of your body to help get a deeper stretch into the neck. Be sure to

  move your neck around to find the best stretch

• Integrate with Shoulder Isometrics or Dynamic:

• Integrate neck movement with various movements such as the seal pose. Explore the angles

  and positions accessible to your neck. Use your eyes as a guide while you look and move around. Where the eyes go, the spine follows…

• Progressing to an active- or in this case- isometric movement, we use a reverse shoulder plank with a push off to hold. Be sure to tuck your chin a bit when lifting your upper back off the bench. You can hold this lift for :5-:10 seconds (or longer if you are able. You can make this easier by using a taller surface or wall or bending the knees and scooting in the feet to take some body weight off your shoulders.

Again, there are more motions and combinations, but we show these distinct ones to try here and keep it simple.

Have at it…

The key here is …

• Passive to Active Integration of neck

• Explore motion in different postures

• Integrate with isometrics or motion at the end if you choose

Start integrating these neck movement snacks into your daily routine as you can with many other forms of movement. Like other snacks we have demonstrated, you can even do these while seated at your desk for the most part with some modification. You don’t need the band! As you move through it you may find each position get easier if you do multiple passes. The shoulder bridge is a TOUGHY at first!

As always, there is not a definitive order or routine you must do, as movement is also about exploration. Do what feels good and see what you can find out. If you end up trying this one out or perhaps making up your own, send us a message or maybe even a clip and let us know! As always, Keep it moving…

Interested in learning new ways to maximize your mobility or perhaps some expert hands to help you with any current or ongoing issues? Book your first appointment with a 15% discount here using code MT15.

We will be back again soon with more DIY recovery, mobility and massage; but if you have a specific issue or area you would like to see us cover in one of these- as always- let us know. We want to make sure we find topics that help YOU!

October Announcements:

• Holistic Health Coaching Spots Remain Open with 4 More Spots. If you are looking to find what makes you look and feel your absolute best, we would love to help. Book a consult here and get on the list now

• The last bits of new equipment are still continuing to trickle in over the this month…

• Coach Micah will be out on paternity leave (expectedly-unexpectedly) in the next few weeks. Coach Joey will be filling in. Stay tuned!