In this video, we're going to go over how to self release
your neck and shoulders with a foam roller. Stay tuned!
Hey, everyone. Dr. Rowe coming to you from SpineCare in St.
Joseph, Michigan. In this video, we're going to go over
some great stretching exercises that may end in a satisfying
self pop. crack, or release in the neck and shoulders. I'm
going to be using a standard 24-inch foam roller. It's
pretty firm, has about a six-inch diameter. If you do
not have a foam roller, I will leave a link in this video's
description for this exact one. As a note before we begin, all
of these exercises, they're just stretching exercises. They
do not serve to replace chiropractic adjustments. They
are not chiropractic adjustments. They just put a
lot of mobility into the neck and shoulders that may, again,
end in a satisfying self pop crack or release. So, let's get
started and get the neck and shoulders feeling better right
now. So, let's start with the neck. I really like this
exercise because it really helps pinpoint positions and
movements that might be locked up so you can focus on the ones
that need it the most. I'm going to go next to door or a
wall. I'm going to position my foam roller right up against
that door and I want to make sure that the foam roller is
supporting the whole curve of my neck. So, it's pretty much
going to start at the base of the skull and then, I'm just
going to have it supported on my shoulders. So, it should
feel like it's really fitting into that curve. We want to
angle our body just slightly away from that door or a wall
and press into it with our legs to make sure that we have a
very strong support. It should feel like our neck is fully
supported this foam roller. What we want to do is a warm up
to begin with. Let's get everything loosened up so we'll
get better results later on. I'm just going to take two
fingers, do a slight chin tuck like this, and then just
kind of bend my knees kind of like a squatting position and
roll my neck pretty much from again the top all the way to
the bottom very very slowly over that foam roller. Apply
just enough pressure with your legs too. Kinda pressing into
that foam roller where you're getting a nice self massage but
it's not cause any discomfort. I try to do this for about 10
to 15 repetitions. Should take you about maybe 3-5 seconds, or
anything like that, to do a complete repetition but I
gradually apply more pressure in there too just to get a
better self massage. From there, I like to target a
little bit more off to the side. So, this is really good
if you have one-sided neck pain. Let's say I have a little
bit more off to my left. I'm going to turn my head towards
the left as much as I can and from there, I'm going to do the
thing just very very slowly. Whatever side that your head is
turned towards, the more that you're going to feel pressure
on that side so you can experiment with the left and
then you can experiment with the right side and just throw
some more reps in if you do feel like you need it. From
there, let's build into our self-release method. I'm
going to start with rotation or a turning motion. So, let's
have very good upright posture to begin with. Do a slight chin
tuck like this and then I'm going to turn my head all the
way in one direction as much as I can kind of like over a
shoulder. If this is locked up, you might get a sudden pop,
crack, or release with it but do not try to force these
movements. We're trying to focus on deep stretching. We're
not trying to force any popping. So, what I'm going to
do is go all the way until I feel a very deep stretch and I
try to hold this one for about 10 seconds. From there, I relax
just for a second and then I'm going to build back into that
stretch but this time, I'm going to press into it just a
little bit more with my hand and fingers to get an extra
stretch. This passive stretch might get that sudden pop but
again, don't try to force it. Only go for a comfortable deep
stretch. Hold this one for 10 seconds. From there, you're
just going to repeat it on the other side. I try to do this
right here for about 3 to 5 complete repetitions and with
each repetition, just go a little bit more with it. Try to
build some more range of motion but only to your comfort level.
From there, I try to work a little bit more into rotation
with what is known as the armpit sniffer. So, I'm
going to back into that rotation looking over my
shoulder as much as I can this time though I'm going to take
my hand put it on the top of my head and then pull my head down
towards my armpit like this you'll notice that it opens up
the neck just a little bit differently I feel this one
going all the way to the base of the skull it feels really
really good again try to hold this one for about 10 to 15
seconds, relax, and then do this for three to five times. With
each repetition, just go a little bit more with it and for
good measure go towards the other side to keep them both in
balance and for the third part, we're going to focus on a
muscle called the upper trapezius that runs right off
to the side and this one usually gets people or I should
say most people will end up getting a nice release with
this one. So, let's say I have a lot going on on my right
side. I'm going to take my right arm, bend my elbow like
this and then take my hand, the back side of my hand right here
and then slide it across the small to lower back. Go over as
far as you can. Reach over towards the left. When you do
this, you're going to a very good activation of the muscle
on the top right here. That's that trapezius muscle. So, we
really want to focus on feeling that to begin with. From there,
we're going to take the opposite side's ear towards the
shoulder. So, my left ear is going to go towards my left
shoulder. I'm going to help out by just taking my hand like
this, placing it on the right side of my head and then
pulling it over and I go over as much as I can and I don't
know if you heard it. I got a pretty good release right there
into the right side of my neck. I'm just going to tilt it down
towards that shoulder as much as I can. We want a very deep
comfortable stretch. We're going to hold this one right
here for about 10 to 15 seconds. We're just going to
relax and then we're going to repeat this three to five
times. Again, going only for a deep stretch and with each
repetition, trying to stretch into it just a little bit more
and then for good measure, just go towards the other side. With
those motions, if you do feel like one needs a little bit
more attention like it's more locked up or you have a little
bit more pain with that movement, focus on building
into it with a little bit more repetitions. Focus on what you
need the most. So, let's move on to the shoulders. I'm going
to show two different techniques. The first one being
known as the shoulder pop and roll. We're going to start off
on a floor on our knees so make sure to put a pillow or towel
underneath them for extra comfort. Let's put our foam
roller out in front of us just like this. I'm going to grip
into it with my fingers and press down into the floor for a
stable anchor point. So, we don't want this to move. We
want to make sure that our arms are as straight as pop straight
at the elbow. What I'm going to do, tuck my chin towards my
chest and then lower my butt down towards my heels. My whole
body is rocking backwards as one complete unit. When we do
this, you're going to feel a stretch, intensify into the
arms all the way up to the shoulder and upper back. You
want to focus on feeling it into the shoulder capsule. Go
down as far as you can get that initial stretch. From there,
what I'm going to do is then take my hands and place the
like this off to the side. So, my thumb is pointing up towards
the ceiling. I want to then take my hands and use the foam
roller right here to roll forward while my lower body
stays put like an anchor point. So, now, our upper body and
arms are is moving, I should say forward. So, the more that
I go forward, the more that you're going to feel a very
deep pulling motion into the shoulders. Focus on that. Keep
going forward as much as you can and I don't know if you can
hear it over the mic phone but my upper back literally sounds
like rice crispies. It's just releasing like crazy and I just
actually felt a really good pop in my left shoulder. This opens
up so much into the shoulders and upper back. Once we hit a
very deep stretch, let's hold this one for about 15 to 20
seconds. Do nice, slow, controlled breathing also. Let
that tension out. When you need a breather, just roll back like
this but you want to on the next repetition, try to stretch
into it just a little bit more. Always challenge those muscles
to open up those joints and hopefully get that self pop,
crack, or release that you are looking for. I try to do this
for 3 to 5 complete repetitions. On the next part, I'm going to
take this to the next level by taking my foam roller and
angling it off to one side and then, I'm just going to kind of
tilt my body with it. So, in this case, I'm tilting a little
bit towards my right. Whatever side that you're leaning
towards, what you're going to notice is it opens up the
opposite side shoulder just a little bit more I feel a very
very deep stretch into my left shoulder. So, if you need a
little bit more off to one side, lean towards the opposite
side and just experiment with different angles. So, go very
slightly with it. You can go all the way over if you want
and then, just repeat on the other side for good measure but
go through all of those motions. If you feel like one
just hits the shoulder a little bit better, throw more reps in
at that point and I hope that that really gives you that
satisfying self pop, crack or release you're looking for.
This next shoulder technique is what I like to call the chicken
wing popper. I'm going to go next to a wall for this. I'm
going to place my foam roller vertically, bend my elbow on
whatever side that we're focusing on and try to support
the elbow and the arm fully on this foam roller. Press into it
also with your elbow. We don't want this sliding around. It
should feel like it's very stable. I'm going to take the
hand on that side and just place it off to my hip just
like this. So, it almost looks like we're going to be doing
the chicken wing here in a second. So, I'm going to
position my body where I look off to my side, my shoulder and
my elbow, my arm, the back of the arm right here should be in
a nice straight line. So, we don't want to be leaning
forward. We don't want to be leaning backwards with this
one. Nice, straight line. From there, I'm going to go into a
passive stretch that's going to help open up the shoulder. What
I'm going to do is take the elbow and drive it into that
foam roller as much as I can. What you'll feel, the more that
you press into it, the more that you're going to feel an
activation into the shoulder. Only for a deep stretch. Don't
force this one. Once you hit that very deep stretch, we want
to hold this for about 15 to 20 seconds. and if it is locked
up, you might get it to pop right away but again, just
don't try to force it. From there, just relax, take a
breather. On the next repetition, press into it just
a little bit more. Challenge it to open up that shoulder. I try
to do that for about three to five repetitions. If it feels
like it's still locked up and needs to be taken to the next
level, we can do a little bit more of a passive stretch in
there so this is where we're going to do a chicken wing so
what I'm going to do is very quickly wing my elbow into that
foam roller just very very slightly and I don't know if
you heard it I just actually got a nice pop right there into
my right shoulder so I'm just kind of winging it quickly like
this just very gently this should not cause any discomfort
if it is please discontinue immediately but I just try to
do that for about maybe five repetitions relax if you feel
like you another set, you can do it but for good measure, I
would do this on the other side just to keep everything in
balance and I do hope that that really helps release that
shoulder and gives you a lot of relief. If the exercise has
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