NECK EXERCISES
Start each exercise slowly. Ease off the exercise if you start to have pain. Neck exercises are necessary for postural awareness, to prevent your muscles from becoming stiff, and to stretch the neck muscles; relaxation techniques help prevent further injury of the neck. An overworked neck may cause pain in your head, upper back, shoulders, and arms. You may feel tingling or numbness of fingers.
PREVENTION: MEASURES TO PREVENT NECK PAIN
A.Avoid bending over a desk when working on a computer, reading, or writing.
B.Raise your work to eye level, keeping you from bending your head down.
C.Change your position often. Take breaks when working on something for a long period of time and do some stretching exercises.
D.Putting too many pillows under your head can cause a kink
in your neck. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
TREATMENT PLAN
Neck exercises—try to do these exercises three times a day, repeating each exercise five to 10 times each.
A.Active range of motion:
1.Turn head to each side as if you were looking over your shoulder.
2.Bend head sideways, bringing ear toward each shoulder.
3.Tuck chin in, bringing head forward toward chest.
4.Shrug your shoulders and then roll them around as far as possible.
B.Stretching exercise:
1.To stretch to the right side, place your right hand behind your head and bring your chin toward your chest.
2.To stretch to the left side, drop the left shoulder down and tilt the right ear to the right shoulder.
3.Lie on your back. Nod your head, bringing your chin toward your throat.
4.Squeeze or pinch your shoulder blades together, keeping your chin tucked.
You Need to Notify the Office If You Have:
A.Increased pain in neck.
B.Numbness and tingling of fingers and hands.
C.Other physical symptoms (caused by exercise).
D.Other: ___________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________
RESOURCES
Allina Hospitals and Clinics: Home Exercise Program for Neck Pain at www.allina.com
Exercise: A Guide From the National Institute on Aging. NIH Free Publication No. 01-4258. www.nih.gov.nia
Kaiser Permanente: Neck Arthritis-Exercises at www.kp.org. Enter V867 in the search box to learn more about neck exercises.
PATIENT TEACHING GUIDE