Neck stretches 4: the Upper Traps

February 11, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

The trapezius muscle is one of the big stars of the musculoskeletal world; who hasn’t heard of the traps? It’s understandable. The traps (upper, middle and lower) cover about a third of the back and do a wide range of tasks. Trapezius is a postural muscle, which means that it’s always working to keep you upright. It pulls your shoulders back and down, and your head back, so it’s constantly contracting to counter slouchy shoulders and head-forward posture. Constant contraction in an overstretched position leads to trigger points, aching and pain in the back of the neck.

Trapezius muscle. Image via Wikimedia Commons. Originally posted by Mikael Häggström.

Today we’re focusing on the upper traps. When somebody grabs the bundle of muscle to either side of your neck, that’s upper traps on top.

If you feel pain when you’re stretching, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none. Try alternating with stretching the levator scapulae, SCM and scalenes.

Pin your shoulder down on the side to be stretched. Grab your elbow with the opposite hand, or sit in a chair and grab the seat.
Bring your ear to the shoulder opposite the side to be stretched.
Turn your face up to the ceiling, towards the side to be stretched.
Gently tip your head down towards the floor, while maintaining side flexion and rotation.
Find a combination of these three movements that creates stretch up the side and back of your neck.

Make sense? Got questions? Send me a message and I’d be happy to help you out.

Once again, thanks to the ever-amazing Ray Ranger, RMT from Trikinetic Massage Therapy for posing.

Neck Stretches 3: the Scalenes

February 10, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

Your scalenes (there’s 3 of them) are moderately deep muscles in the front of the neck; they’re mostly covered by the much larger sterno-cleidomastoid (SCM), but even though they’re small, they can be a big source of trouble. In fact, because they’re so delicate, they’re highly prone to trigger points.They have a referral pattern of pain that radiates over the front or back of the shoulder, and down the arm to the hand, especially on the thumb side.

The scalene muscles run from the sides of your vertebrae to your first two ribs, and pull the ribs up when you breathe deeply. They also tend to pull your head down and forward when they’re tight, contributing to head-forward posture and pain in the back of the neck.

Anterior, middle and posterior scalenes. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Original uploader was Mikael Häggström at en.wikipedia

Here, then, is a stretch to isolate the scalenes, especially the anterior (front) and middle scalene. You can do this stretch as many times a day as you like. It’s good in combination with stretches for the levator scapulae, SCM and upper traps.

For this neck stretch, pin by placing your hand just below your collarbone, so that it pushes down on the first two ribs.
Tuck your chin.
Keeping your chin tucked, tip your neck back. This likely feels awkward, but this step is key.
Still keeping the chin tucked and neck back, bring your ear to the shoulder opposite the side being stretched.
Turn your face up to the ceiling, towards the side being stretched.
Play around with a combination of these movements until you feel the stretch in the front and side of your neck.

Thanks to my Trikinetic colleague Ray Ranger for modelling the photos.

Stretch Your Neck Part 2: Lev Scap

January 21, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

Last week I posted about stretching your SCM, in the front of your neck, to ease the tension created by head forward posture. Today I’d like to show you a stretch for your levator scapulae muscle, also known as “lev scap” or just “levator,” which runs from the side of your neck down to the top of your shoulderblade, like this:

Levator scapulae muscle, image courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

This muscle is one of the most common direct causes of neck pain. When it’s tight and short, it gives you that feeling of wearing your shoulders like earrings. It can also refer pain down between your shoulderblades. Stretching it out can bring immediate relief, although I recommend doing it in combination with the SCM stretch to balance the front and back of the neck.

Thanks again to my Trikinetic colleague, Ray Ranger RMT, for posing for the pictures.

Guidelines for stretching:

Make sure you’re in a stable, comfortable position.
Stretch on the exhale.
If you feel pain, back off a little.
Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften.
3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.

To stretch levator scapulae:

Pin your shoulder on the side to be stretched – sit on a chair and hold the seat, or reach behind and grab your elbow with your other hand.
Bring your ear to the shoulder opposite the side to be stretched.
Turn your face down to the floor, away from the side to be stretched, and tip your head forward, as if you’re sniffing your armpit. 🙂
Find a combination of these movements that creates stretch down the back of your neck.

And that’s all. I hope it helps. Let me know if you’ve got any questions!

Stretch Your Neck! Part 1: the SCM.

January 15, 2015April 29, 2015 / Will / Leave a comment

Here’s a stretch for your sterno-cleidomastoid (pronounced “ster-no cligh-doh mas-toid,” or SCM) muscle, which runs from behind your ear down to your collarbone. It’s big, powerful, and a major contributor to head-forward posture, which in turn leads to aches and pains in the back of the neck. This is the stretch I give most often to my patients, to counter the effects of sitting at a computer, driving a car, or anything that causes you to lean forward.

Thanks to my fabulous colleague at Trikinetic, Ray Ranger, RMT, for modelling the positions.

This is your SCM muscle:

SCM muscle, image from Wikimedia Commons.

To stretch it, try to make your neck look like this:

Let’s break that down. First of all, some guidelines for stretching:

Make sure you’re in a stable, comfortable position.
Stretch on the exhale.
If you feel pain, back off a little.
Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften.
3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.

SCM stretch:

Pin your shoulder on the side to be stretched – sit on a chair and hold the seat, or reach behind and grab your elbow with your other hand.
Sidebend your head and neck away from the side you’re stretching.
Turn your face up, towards the side you’re stretching.
Maintaining side flexion and rotation, tip your head and neck back.
Play around with the three movements until you feel the stretch in the side and front of your neck.