Attached is the neck stretch that forms part of your treatment process at Lamp Chiropractic.

The neck stretch is designed to be completed as directed by your Chiropractor. He/She would have explained why they are necessary as part of your treatment and maintaining your adjustment in the future. The neck stretch keeps motion in the joints in your neck.

These stretches are like brushing your teeth, they need to be done regularly to keep your healthy between adjustments.

 

Performing The Neck Stretch

Below is the demonstration video. It runs through the full sequence, both the side bend and the rotation, so it is worth watching once through before you try it yourself.

It is important to do this stretch correctly, so if in doubt, talk to your chiropractor at your next appointment, or call 9361 9300.

 

Step By Step

The whole sequence takes a couple of minutes. Work through it slowly, and breathe through each position rather than holding your breath.

1. Set your posture. Stand or sit as tall as you can. Chest out, shoulders back. Getting the starting position right matters more than people expect, because a stretch performed from a slumped position with the head already sitting forward puts the pull in the wrong place.

2. Drop your head to one side. Take your ear toward your shoulder without turning your face or lifting the opposite shoulder. Someone standing in front of you should still be able to see both of your ears. That is the check that tells you the movement is a clean side bend rather than a twist.

3. Take seven slow, deep breaths. Breathe in and out fully, and let the neck settle a little further with each breath out. There is no need to pull on your head.

4. Repeat on the other side. Return to the middle, then drop your head the other way and take another seven slow, deep breaths.

5. Turn your head to face one way. Come back to tall, chest out and shoulders back, then rotate your head to look over one shoulder. Keep your chin level rather than letting it drift up or down. Hold for seven slow, deep breaths.

6. Turn to the other side. Rotate the other way and hold for a final seven slow, deep breaths.

You should feel a comfortable pull down the side or the back of the neck. Sharp pain, pins and needles, or anything travelling down into the arm means you should stop and mention it to us. Those symptoms are worth assessing rather than stretching through.

 

How Often To Stretch

Regularly. These stretches are like brushing your teeth, they need to be done consistently to keep you healthy between adjustments. A stretch done properly once a day will do far more for you than a much longer session done occasionally.

Most patients find it easiest to attach it to something they already do without thinking, so it happens whether they remember it or not. Straight after you brush your teeth in the morning, while the kettle boils, or as a break partway through the work day all work well. If you spend most of your day at a desk, the middle of the afternoon is a sensible time for it.

The value here is in maintenance. Adjustments restore movement to joints that were restricted, and the stretch is part of what stops those joints quietly settling back to where they were between visits.

 

Benefits Of Stretching Your Neck

The everyday reason we prescribe this stretch is to maintain your adjustments, though the benefits go a little further than that.

  • It keeps the joints moving. Regular movement through range is what keeps a cervical joint healthy, and it discourages the stiffness that builds up over a long day in one position.
  • It eases the muscles that hold tension. The upper trapezius and the muscles along the side of the neck take a lot of load when you sit at a desk or drive for long periods, and this stretch gives them a chance to let go.
  • It reduces pain over time when done consistently. A randomised controlled trial published in Clinical Rehabilitation gave 96 office workers with chronic moderate to severe neck pain a neck and shoulder stretching program to do twice a day, five days a week, for four weeks. The stretching group improved significantly more than the control group on pain, neck function and quality of life, and the people who stretched at least three times a week improved more than those who did it less often. Frequency is the part that counts.
  • It gives you a daily read on your own neck. Doing the same movement each day makes it obvious when one side has tightened up or lost range, which is useful information to bring to your next appointment.
  • It supports better posture. A neck that moves freely is easier to hold in a balanced position. If posture is something you are working on, our guide on how to assess your posture pairs well with this stretch.

This stretch is one of several we prescribe depending on what your assessment shows. The rhomboid stretch covers the upper back between the shoulder blades, and the piriformis stretch covers the hip and glutes. Your chiropractor will tell you which ones apply to you.

If your neck pain is not settling, or it keeps returning between visits, there is usually something specific driving it. You can read more about how we approach neck pain, or book a consultation and we will take a proper look. You can also call us on 9361 9300.