The tension in the neck and shoulders can be unbearable at times. Learn more about these 3 stretches you should do every day to relieve neck & shoulder tension…
When you have tension in your neck and shoulders, you would do anything to get rid of it. It gives you headaches, causes you pain, and prevents you from enjoying your life to the fullest. While massages and physical therapy are good options when you have the time, they aren’t practical for everyday pain relief. However, if you know the right stretches to do, you can get a lot of relief right from the comfort of your own home. By setting aside five minutes each day to perform these three stretches, you will experience the relief you are seeking.
Simple Neck Stretch
If you get a lot of tension headaches and you feel the majority of your tension where your shoulders and neck meet, then you will want to start each day out with this simple neck stretch. For the best results, do the stretch in the shower with the hot water on the muscle.
- Stand up with your feet hip-distance apart and your back and shoulders in proper posture form.
- Tilt your head to the left, trying to get your ear close to the top of your shoulder.
- Take your left hand behind your back and grab your right wrist with it. Then use the left hand to slightly tug on the right arm. This will further stretch out the neck muscles to ensure the tension gets relieved.
- Hold this for at least 30 seconds, making sure you tilt your head as far as you can.
- Repeat on the other side.
Twisted Forward Bend
If you feel most of your neck tension at the nape of your neck, you will want to put gravity to work for you—there’s a reason inversion tables are so popular. Gravity will help stretch out your spine and relax the muscles that surround it.
- Stand up with your legs stretched out about a foot or two past hip distance.
- Bend forward and just let your head freely dangle for about 30 seconds. Feel free to turn your head from side to side to get all of the muscles loosened up.
- Now it’s time to really stretch the side of your neck and all the way down your spine. To do this, place your right hand on the floor, right in the middle of your legs.
- Now, turn outward with your left arm until the arm is pointed towards the sky, and then look up at this extended hand with your head.
- Allow your head to turn as far as it will go while in this stretch. It may be slightly painful at first, but that means it is releasing the tension. Continue to hold this stretch until you feel the tension starting to go away.
- Repeat on the other side.
Pull Through Stretch
When your tension is a little lower than your neck, and you feel most of the tightness around your shoulders and shoulder blades, you will want to incorporate this stretch into your daily wake-up routine.
- Get on your hands and knees, making sure they are perfectly aligned.
- Take your right arm and lift it up and out briefly to stretch the front part of your shoulder, then thread it under your body so that you end up with your right hand on the floor past your body.
- Your right arm should be fully touching the floor, and you might also want to rest your head so you can hold it longer.
- Push your right arm out as far as you can to get a deeper stretch in the shoulder blade and hold for at least 30 seconds.
- Switch sides.
As you can see, these stretches are super simple and involve nothing more than yourself. By dedicating a few minutes per day to stretching, you can relieve a lot of the neck and shoulder tension that haunts you and go back to soaking in every moment.
