Surely, after the arrival of Covid-19, you have been able to realize that spending all day working sitting in front of the computer can be a challenge. Not only because it requires you to maintain some concentration, but because it can also become very uncomfortable.
Having a bad position while you’re working can cause intense neck pain. As strange as it sounds, this is one of the most common reasons people visit the doctor.
However, neck pain does not only occur when you are sitting in front of the computer. It also originates due to poor postures when sleeping, walking or picking up the bag. In addition, daily stress is one of its great triggers. But who can get rid of it?
It’s true that letting go of daily worries sounds easier than it actually is. Some try without satisfactory results. However, this does not mean that you have to be doomed to suffer from neck pain for the rest of your life.
There are a few things you can do to counteract the painful effects of stress. These are exercises that are aimed at soothing the pain of the cervical area. If you do not know what they are, you do not have to worry, since I will be telling you what they are, as well as how to execute them correctly.
Soon, you will realize that putting these exercises into practice, with some frequency, will have marked a before and after in your personal, work and / or academic life.
You will say goodbye once and for all to the annoying and uncomfortable cervical pains, which will give you the opportunity to have an optimal development in your daily activities, regardless of the level of stress to which you are subjected. Let’s see right now what they are.
Instructions
In this post I will be sharing with you some of the exercises that physiotherapists recommend to combat neck pain by eliminating the so-called “knots” and recovering the correct posture of the body when lying down, sitting or standing. If you practice them daily, they will serve as protection for your neck.
Some of these exercises are as follows:
Stretching
- Sit on a bench in front of the mirror.
- Bring to your back the arm that corresponds to the side that you have painful.
- With your other hand, gently push your head to the opposite side.
- To increase the intensity, when your head is tilted, tilt it or slightly towards the ground.
- Hold this position for about 10 minutes. If you wish, you can repeat the process now in the opposite direction.
Unlocking the shoulder blades
- While standing, separate your legs according to the width of your hip.
- Interlace your fingers and turn your palm outward with your arms
- Stretch your arms enough so that you feel the area of the dorsal vertebrae curve.
- Hold this position for about 10 seconds and repeat the exercise about three times.
Neck relaxation
- To protect the cervical, take a towel and place it on the base of the skull, holding it at both ends.
- Bring your head back, as if you were going to look at the ceiling.
- Hold for about 6 seconds and return to the starting position.
- Then, you can try to do it without the support of the towel.
Shoulder relaxation
- While standing, separate your legs according to the width of your hip.
- Bend your knees slightly.
- Hold this position while joining your arms behind your back.
- Then, raise them as high as you can. This, with the purpose of the anterior part of the shoulder that is contracted.
Neck flexion
- While sitting, cross your fingers behind your head.
- Then, bring your elbows closer until they are parallel.
- Bring your chin to your chest and hold this position for about 10 seconds.
- You will notice that there is some tension in the muscles of the neck, lumbar and dorsal.
What You Need
These exercises are very simple, but effective. To perform them, you will only need:
- A bench where you can sit comfortably while performing the exercises.
- A towel to support your neck during neck relaxation.
- Be careful to make sure you do the movements as I have told you.
- Comfortable clothes that do not hinder you when stretching.
- Appropriate footwear. Preferably with a good grip to prevent you from slipping when separating your legs.
You will not need to go to the gym or the advice of a personal trainer. To remind you to do them, you can place the reminder on your alarm.
If you prefer, you can do them in the morning, right after you get up. This way you will start the day more relaxed and with more energy. You can also do them in the afternoon, when you finish your workday or daily chores, to relax the contracted areas and relieve neck pain.
Councils
Perform these exercises with enough intensity to feel that a stretch occurs, only then you will see positive results.
Once you have improved, this does not mean that the relief will be permanent. Therefore, it is important that you take care of your posture, both when working, walking and sleeping. Ideally, you should keep your back straight and your shoulders back, so you will avoid these terrible neck pains.
While it is true that they also occur due to the stress to which we are subjected every day, something that will help you reduce those levels of tension is to drink a hot tea before going to sleep. In addition to helping, you relax your muscles, it will make you sleep more and better. The next day, you will surely wake up with new energy.
Another thing that can help you, to better manage stress, is to do activities that you like and distract, such as painting, reading a book, going for a walk and breathing fresh air, doing yoga, doing a little gardening, dancing, etc.