hey everybody it's doctor jo and unicorn, broken unicorn Kali,
and today i'm going to show you 10 stretches for a stiff neck. so let's get started.
so for stretches in general, if i don't say otherwise, you really want to hold
the stretch for 30 seconds and then do that three times. that's kind of the gold standard,
but the first couple ones you don't have to hold for the full 30 seconds. so the first
one is going to be a cervical rotation. you can either hold this one for full the full 30 seconds,
or you can shorten it by just doing a 10 to 15 second stretch on each side.
for cervical rotation range of motion, you're just going to turn your head to the side, almost like
you're looking over your shoulder, and then back the other way. number two is a cervical side bend.
this is the same, you can hold it for 30 seconds or you can do a shorter 10 to 15 second hold.
for a cervical side bend range of motion, you're going to bring your ear towards your shoulder,
but don't bring your shoulder up to your ear. number three is cervical flexion. same thing,
that longer stretch or the shorter stretch. for cervical flexion range of motion,
you're just going to bring your chin towards your chest and then come back up.
number four. super sleepy cali says now cervical extension. so again this is one
i wouldn't actually hold this one for 30 seconds, especially since it's going back
into extension. maybe that shorter 10 to 15 second hold. for cervical extension
range of motion you're just going to be looking up towards the ceiling,
and then coming back down.
number five are chin tucks. chin tucks are my favorite. they're kind of a mix between an
exercise and a stretch, so this is the same where maybe just starting off you want to hold it for
three to five seconds, and then work your way up to that 30 second hold. for chin tucks in sitting,
you're going to actually move your chin back. it's not tucking it forward. so place your
finger on your chin, and leave your finger in one spot, and then tuck it in, and hold it.
number six, an upper trap stretch. so this is going to be that full 30 second hold, and you're
gonna do three times on each side. for an upper trap stretch, take the arm of the side that you
want to stretch, and either push it downwards or sit on it to hold that shoulder down. then
take the other hand on the side, and just pull it over towards your shoulder. holding that stretch.
number seven, a levator scapulae stretch. so again this one is that full 30 second hold.
for levator scapulae stretch, the side that you want to stretch, you're going to take your arm
and put it up over your shoulder, and that's to stabilize that scapula. then you're going
to take your head down towards an angle almost like you're looking towards the opposite knee.
take your other hand and put it behind your head, and give it a little extra stretch.
number eight, scaling stretch or an anterior scalene stretch. so we have anterior, middle, and
posterior. so this one's more for the front ones. for a scalene stretch, place your hand above your
collarbone on the muscle. turn your head towards the side you want to stretch, and then look up.
number nine is going to be a neck rotation stretch with a towel. some people call these snags. for
a neck rotation stretch with a towel, take the towel and put it behind your neck. grab one side
to anchor it down and keep it there, then take the opposite hand put the towel up over your chin
across your ear, and you're going to pull upwards and away when you rotate your neck to the side.
and finally number 10 is going to be a neck rotation with an opposite thoracic rotation,
and this really helps get a stretch all the way through your spine.
for neck rotation with contralateral thoracic rotation, place your hands
across your chest. turn your neck one way and then rotate your chest area the other way.
so there you have it, those were 10 stretches for a stiff neck. you can see it definitely relax miss
unicorn Kali. if you'd like to help support my channel, make sure and click on the link up there.
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be safe, have fun, and i hope you feel better soon.