Stretching Video for Neck and Shoulders

Strengthening Video for Neck and Shoulders

We are designed to move, try not to stay in any single position too long

Neck and shoulders Disorder Prevention

Read on if you want a detail explanation.

Are you at risk for tension headaches and early cervical degeneration?

Muscle tightness and imbalances could put you at risk for early cervical degeneration and tension headaches. These conditions are debilitating and are quite common in the

workplace. Improper posture and repetitive movements at work and in daily life may be

the root cause.

Postural deviations are commonly seen in the cervical and thoracic spines.

They may result from pain, muscular imbalance, and poor postural habits. It

may simply be caused by the way you sit, stand, and move.

One of the most common acquired deviations is forward head posture. This

position is characterized by forward alignment of the head relative to the

shoulders, roundness of the shoulders, and increased neck extension to

maintain an upright posture. It may result from injury, but is most commonly

caused by overuse at poorly designed workstations, athletic and fitness

training imbalances, and poor postural mechanics

(slouching).

How can you tell if you have forward head

posture and accompanying roundness

of the shoulders?

An easy way is by studying a picture of your self

from the side. Good posture is balanced alignment

where stress applied to body segments are

minimal. There should be a natural curve to your neck

(referred to as the neutral position).

Do you have excessive neck curvature? A slight

curvature is normal but it should not be excessive.

Is your head straight or is it extended forward?

Correct posture is an imaginary almost straight line

from the ear through the shoulder, hip, knee, and

ankle joints.

Is your upper back rounded?

Look at your arms as they hang by your side. Are they on the lateral aspect

of your leg or do they come forward to the front of your leg making you

appear like you have an ape like posture (roundness, increased kyphotic

posture). Many bodybuilders and weightlifters have this posture.

Moving your head in different directions will help you understand if you could have a

potential problem. Look to your right and then your left. Was it the same or was one side

easier to move? Was there any pain? Pain could be a sign of dysfunction. Try bringing

your shoulder to your ear on both sides by shrugging your shoulder and tilting your head. You should be able to do this without any pain. Bringing your chin from your chest to where your looking at the ceiling should be pain free fluid motion.

What's so bad about forward head postures?

Postural dysfunction is connected to muscle imbalance, joint dysfunction, and abnormal

neuromuscular control. In the forward head posture the mid-neck is in a forward bent position causing the upper neck to compensated by bending back to keep the eyes

horizontal. This creates compression on the upper cervical veterbrae and the

greater or lesser occipital nerve, which may create occipital and frontal

headaches.

In the forward head position the jaw tends to

open causing the muscles of the jaw to

become excessively active. This may lead to

abnormal muscle activity, which may lead to

nocturnal bruxism and

temporomandibular joint degeneration.

The shoulder girdle comes forward in the

forward head position causing the

thoracic spine to become rounded (kyphotic).

Chronic roundness causes the

rear shoulder muscles to become stretched

and weakened while the frontal

chest muscles become tight. Chest muscle

tightness compromises diaphragmatic

breathing through limiting expansion of the

lower rib cage, which causes the

accessory muscles of respiration to be active

resulting in inefficient and

labored breathing. This accessory activity

causes the first rib to be elevated

which decrease costoclavicular space, which

may lead to thoracic outlet type

symptoms.

The forward head posture is associated with

tightness in the pectoralis

(chest), upper trapezius, levator scapula, and

posterior erector spinae neck

muscles, with corresponding weakness to

their antagonist, the rhomboids,

middle and lower trapezius, and anterior cervical musculature. When the

muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle are out of balance degenerative

joint disease from C5 to C7 may result. Muscle imbalances may also lead to

abnormal muscle firing resulting in palpable trigger points.

Overtime a “dowagerʼs hump may develop at the base of the neck due to prolonged

stress to the base of the neck.

In some cases of forward-head posture the lumbar spine way loses it curve

resulting in lumbar hypermobility and possible disc strain.

How can you correct these potential problem? A good place to start is by stretching

and strengthening with postural reeducation and improvement to your workstation. See

description. See Videos above.

Other Neck Issues

Bedtime

Reading in bed can cause neck strain. So try not to prop up on several pillows, bending your neck forward while trying to hold your arms out in order to support a book. Rather if you do read in bed try to make it easy on your neck by propping a book on a pillow and sitting up or get a book stand for your bed.

Sleeping position is another source of possible neck issues. Do you sleep with your neck at an angle, either too high or too low? Try to use a pillow that conforms with your next that helps keep your neck in a neutral position.

Workstations

A neutral neck position as with your lower back should be kept while at your workstation or computer. Don't bend your neck forward. Make adjustments at your desk, monitor, and chair to a comfortable height position so that the monitor is at eye level, your knees are slightly lower than your hips, and sit close enough to the computer so that you can see. Use arm rests so that you are not holding your arms up causing your upper neck muscles to strain. Try to use a head set rather than holding a phone with the neck bent. Also move frequently, there is no perfect seated position.