Neck pain is an extremely common source of pain for most adults. This has become an even bigger problem since the Covid-19 pandemic began as people are working from home more often and with less proper ergonomic desk set-ups. There is a high likelihood of developing neck pain at some point in time, or multiple times if someone has been sitting at a desk for several hours each day with poor posture. As a result, neck pain education and teaching others my best neck stretches will continue to be a common occurrence in my daily clinical practice. As neck pain continues to increase in prevalence within our society, my goal today is to discuss the causes of neck pain and to show you how to perform my best neck stretches for neck pain relief.
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Purchase for Easy, Convenient Access Anytime
Download for Use on Any Device or Print at Home
Includes Additional Exercises for Comprehensive Rehab Program
Custom-Designed by Dr. Tim, PT, DPT, OCS
Table of Contents
Understanding the Difference Between Neck Pain and Shoulder Pain
The first step towards relieving any pain is to understand what structures are the source of the pain. This can understandably be quite difficult for those that don’t have a background in human anatomy and physiology, however, there are some basic fundamentals that can help with identification.
Is the source of the pain coming from the neck or the shoulder?
Neck pain is described as pain originating from the neck to the top of the shoulder near the Acromion bone (see picture). Whereas, shoulder and arm pain will arise from the outside area of the shoulder leading down the arm towards the elbow. This is an important distinction as it will help distinguish the potential sources of the pain.
If you truly have shoulder pain but thought you had neck pain, then even performing the best neck stretches in the world will not change your pain as the problems are actually arising from different tissue in the shoulder.
If you’ve just now realized that you’re actually experiencing shoulder pain or arm pain, then go check out my “Understanding Shoulder Pain” article to find out more.
Potential Sources of Neck Pain
The next step is to try and identify if muscles are the source of the pain. Posture-related neck pain is caused by long-duration stress that is placed upon the neck and upper back muscles. These groups of muscles travel up the neck and insert along the cervical spine and the base of the skull.
These muscles can handle this type of stress adequately for varying amounts of time, but eventually, they will begin to fatigue and become irritated from overuse. They are not structurally built to be worked for long periods of time as they are prone to fatigue. This type of muscle pain is typically described as a dull, aching sensation and can often lead to tension-type headaches.
If these muscles remain tight and are repetitively overused, they will become irritated and the muscle pain will slowly worsen. As a result, neck movements in certain directions will become restricted as the now tight muscles are limiting the available range of motion.
Why Do Posture and Ergonomics Matter When Working at a Desk or Computer?
I have seen a serious uptick in patients coming in with neck and upper back pain related to working from home over the past year. Many people simply do not have a proper ergonomic desk set-up as they likely did in the office workspace.
I have spoken with people who are working from their kitchen table or kitchen countertop, the living room couch, and even while lying in bed on their laptop computer.
Our bodies are not built to withstand these postures for several hours. This WILL lead to increased neck and upper back pain eventually, no matter your age. As mentioned before, the neck and upper back muscles are not built to withstand the constant stress of being placed on stretch when sitting in a forward lean position.
It is very important to take a serious look at your desk setup at home. If you don’t have an ergonomic setup yet, my professional medical advice is for you to get serious about it and take action NOW!
If you don’t take action and fix the problem, daily neck stretches may help relieve your neck pain temporarily, however, the pain will absolutely keep coming back.
Check out my full, in-depth article on how to improve your posture and reduce back and neck pain.
What is Proper Posture When Working at a Computer or Desk?
Use a chair with armrests
- You must allow the arms to rest on the armrests so that your neck muscles are not constantly holding your arms up while typing/writing
Scoot the chair in close enough to the desk to allow elbows to be bent at 80-90 degrees
Chair height should allow the hips to be slightly higher than the knees with feet resting flat on the floor
Computer screen height should be just slightly lower than eye level
Chair position should allow for an ever-so-slight lean-back position (not sitting straight up and definitely not leaning forward)
Use of a lumbar support roll will help prevent rounding of the lower back, which helps fight against a forward lean in your chair
- ORIGINAL MCKENZIE LUMBAR ROLL
- PROMOTES BACK PAIN RELIEF
- IMPROVE ERGONOMIC SITTING POSITION
- SUPERIOR CONSTRUCTION
- GREAT FOR OFFICES, VEHICLES, & PLANES
- Simple 10-Step Guide to Improve Work Desk Ergonomics
- Purchase for Easy, Convenient Access Anytime
- Download for Use on Any Mobile Device or Print at Home
- Custom Designed by Dr. Tim, PT, DPT, OCS
Simple 10-Step Guide to Improve Work Desk Ergonomics
Purchase for Easy, Convenient Access Anytime
Download for Use on Any Device or Print at Home
Custom-Designed by Dr. Tim, PT, DPT, OCS
Which Muscles Should be Stretched for Neck Pain Relief?
The most common muscles that cause neck pain are the Upper Trapezius, Levator Scapula, Cervical Extensors, Sub Occipitals, Sternocleidomastoids, and the Scalenes. These muscles may have different attachments along the neck, however, if one or more of them become overly tight, they can cause significant pain when trying to bend or rotate your head.
Why Has My Neck Started to Pop and Crack When I Move It?
As the neck muscles begin to tighten and stiffen up over time, the joints along the cervical spine that they attach to begin to stiffen up as these joints are no longer able to move as freely as before.
This gradual increase in stiffness and tightness will eventually lead to the sudden manipulation of the joints in the cervical spine as the stiffness is released. These manipulations are felt as a “pop” or a “crack” within the joints.
Daily neck stretches will help to relieve the muscular tension on the joints and a gradual reduction of the “popping” and “cracking.”
The BEST Neck Stretches for Neck Pain Relief!
Stretches to relieve neck pain are similar to stretches elsewhere within the body. Stretches should be kept to a mild or moderate-intensity level (think a 3-4 out of 10 intensity scale). Pain should NOT be increased with stretching. If pain increases with the stretch, decrease the intensity of the stretch. If pain is still felt with the stretch, then stretching should not be performed altogether.
All stretches should be held for 30 seconds in duration with 3 repetitions each. These stretches can be performed multiple times per day if needed.
Seated Chin Tucks
- Sit upright with shoulders pulled down and back (think military/soldier posture)
- Keep your eyes looking straight ahead
- Gently tuck your chin down and in as if you were trying to “make a double chin”
- Breathe through your nose with your limps closed
- Perform: 10 reps x 10 sec duration hold (3-4x/day)
Upper Trapezius Stretch
- Perform on both sides
- Perform: 3 reps x 30 sec duration hold. (1-2x/day)
Levator Scapula Stretch
- Perform on both sides
- Perform: 3 reps x 30 sec duration hold. (1-2x/day)
Doorway or Corner Pectoralis Stretch
- Can perform while standing in a doorway or facing the corner of a room
- Perform: 2 reps x 60 sec duration hold. (1-2x/day)
Scalene "Star Gazer" Stretch
- Perform on both sides
- Perform: 3 reps x 30 sec duration hold. (1-2x/day)
Towel Rotation Stretch Lying
- Perform with rotation into both directions
- Perform: 10 reps x 10 sec duration hold (1-2x/day)
Expected Response From Muscle Stretching
As with all stretches, if performed correctly and beginning with mild intensity stretches, the pain should decrease gradually and neck movements in the direction of the previous restriction should increase.
Benefits From Trigger Point Release
Massage or trigger point release also can often help to relieve neck pain. A trigger point is a localized area of tenderness or pain in a muscle. These trigger points become apparent when there is a lot of tightness and irritation within the muscle. These are commonly found in the neck muscles as seen in the diagram below.
I often recommend that my patients use Acumobility Massage Balls for cervical trigger point release at home as these are my favorite tools to use personally. It is made of a high-quality, dense rubber that provides the perfect amount of pressure for muscle relaxation. Additionally, it comes in two pieces that can be used for different heights depending on the area where they will be used. It has a flat bottom on one side and a dome shape apex on the other side that allows it to be used easily while lying on the floor without rolling away from you and you won’t have to hold onto it.
- Chiropractor-Designed Therapy Ball
- Trigger Point Release
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These can be used for 5-10 minutes per day. When a trigger point (tender point) is located, try to relax on or around this spot to allow a gradual relaxation of the tissue. Over time it should be noticed that the tissue relaxes. The pain should not worsen by the end of this. Otherwise, try to decrease the amount of pressure that is being pressed down onto the surface or try to find another area that is more tolerable to the pressure.
Another highly recommended device to use for cervical and scapular trigger point release is a device called the Thera Cane Massager. This device is shaped like a candy cane, which allows you to hook it over your shoulder and apply the rounded tip directly to the trigger point location. You may find me walking around my clinic while using my Thera Cane on myself some days.
- CANE SHAPED MASSAGER
- EASES ACHES AND PAINS
- TRIGGER POINT RELEASE THERAPY
- MEASURES 24 X 15 X 1
- ELIMINATES KNOTS IN YOUR MUSCLES
Alternatively, a cheaper option would be to take two RAD Roller balls or lacrosse balls and place them into a long sock. Push both of the balls down to the bottom of the sock, and then tie a knot above them to hold them in the bottom end. This can then be used very similarly to the Massage Blocks version.
Stretching is Not the Final Answer!
Fortunately, stretching will help to decrease your neck pain, however, unfortunately, it will not fix your problems completely. Stretching and trigger point release are simply treating the symptoms of the problem. The actual cause has more to do with poor posture when performing certain activities over a long period (like working at a computer desk), or possibly sleeping with a pillow that is not designed for the position that you like to sleep in.
It’s super important to understand the causes of neck pain to prevent the return of symptoms in the future.
Check out my full, in-depth article on how posture affects back and neck pain.
