If you have neck pain, you want to get rid of it as soon as you can. One of the ways to do that is through exercise. What should you do? More importantly, what shouldn’t you do? When Should I Start Exercising? As long as your doctor says it’s OK, you should start as soon as possible to ease stiffness and pain. Resting for too long, usually anything more than a couple of days, will make it harder to get moving again. Don’t exercise if you have severe neck pain or weakness in your hands or arms. If you get it while you exercise, stop right away and call your doctor. Which Exercises Should I Do? These simple ones can help: Neck Tilt: From the sitting position, tilt your head down so your chin touches your chest. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. Do this five times. Side-to-Side Neck Tilt. From the same starting position, tilt you neck toward one shoulder, leading with your ear. Hold for 5 seconds and then return to the starting position. Do this five times on each side.
Neck Turn. Look straight ahead, then turn your head to one side, keeping your chin at the same level. Do this five times on each side. Neck Stretch. Holding the rest of your body straight, push your chin forward, stretching your throat. Hold for 5 seconds. From the same starting position, push your chin backward and hold for 5 seconds. Do the forward and backward stretch five times each. If any of these exercises cause severe pain or weakness in your hands or arms, stop right away and talk with your doctor.
