1) Sleep Posture

Sleep on your back or side. If you sleep on your back and/or side, you can align your neck in a neutral, healthy position without doing any harm. Sleeping on you stomach forces you to turn your neck for hours at a time. This prolonged sleeping posture puts excessive pressure on the muscles, discs and joints that support the neck. Changing your sleeping posture to properly align your neck can bring an immediate reduction in neck/shoulder pain and discomfort.

2) Pillow Size

Pillows matter. Your pillow determines the position of your neck while you sleep. A pillow that is too big or too small can misalign your neck for hours at time. Your pillow should provide a neutral neck position. While sleeping on your back, your chin should not be too close or too far from your chest. While sleeping on you side, your head should not tilt down towards your mattress or tilt up away from your mattress. A properly sized pillow can reduce pain after one night!

3) Sitting Posture

Is sitting the new smoking? Not exactly, but sitting at a desk, on a couch, or driving for prolonged periods of time is bad for your neck. When we sit, we slump and two bad things happen. One, we are forced to keep our neck in an extended position. Two, our shoulders slump out of position. If you sit in this position for a long period of time, you may end up with neck pain. To improve your sitting posture, gently tighten your stomach, slightly raise your chest, and lightly hold your shoulders back. Move more. If possible, get a desk that is adjustable and try to stand for 15 minutes of every hour. If an adjustable desk is not possible, try to get up and walk and/or stand for part of every hour.

4) Flexibility

Maintain normal flexibility in you neck. 3 times a day set aside time for a simple and short movement routine for your neck. Gently and repeatedly move your neck and shoulders through their full range of motion. Once this can be done comfortably, without pain, add some flexibility exercises to your movement routine.

5) Breathing

Yes, we all breathe, but most of us don’t breathe correctly. Poor breathing habits promote bad posture. Bad posture leads to neck pain. Focus on three things. One, only breathe through your nose. Two, tighten your stomach muscles a bit. Three slightly lift your chest up. These three things will automatically improve your posture and will immediately help with neck alignment. If you want to improve your breathing and posture further, set aside 5-10 minutes for structured breathing. Count to 5 on your inhale and 5 on your exhale. Gradually increase the time as you see fit. This simple exercise increases the strength of your diaphragm, further improving your posture.

6) Physiotherapy

We have 10+ years of getting patients back to the lifestyle they want and need. Return To Sport Physio will provide the unique path you require to eliminate and prevent neck pain. Contact us for a free discovery visit.

Note: Insurance companies do not and will not provide payment for the hands on type of treatment, and wellness instruction that you need to end neck pain as fast as you would hope. Disappointing, but true.