Pain and stiffness associated with the neck and shoulder is a very serious problem which leads to many injuries and can be prevented by implementing a specific rehab program. Let’s dive into how neck and shoulder injuries happen and what we can do about it in as little as 5 minutes per day!
A lot of the issues we see that lead to upper back, neck and shoulder pain come from neck tightness (upper traps, levator scapulae, sternocleidomastoid) and pec tightness (pectoralis major) in addition to weakness in the middle back (rhomboids, middle/lower traps and serratus anterior). This is what is called Upper Crossed Syndrome and can be an issue that leads to head aches, shoulder impingement and overall pain because of tightness and weakness in those areas listed above (Clark et. al., 2014). While seated throughout the day, check your posture and your arrangement at your work station to be sure things are in proper alignment. In addition to optimal posture, make sure you are moving every 30 minutes while including the following exercises.
Assessment
Neck Stretches
Use the following neck stretches in the video below to help gain range of motion in the neck to prevent pain, reduce injury risk and improve performance:
Upper Body Stretches
Use the following list below to help gain range of motion around the shoulder to prevent pain, reduce injury risk and improve performance:
- Posterior Shoulder Stretch (:30-1:00 daily)
2. Corner Wall Lat & Shoulder Stretch (:30-1:00 daily)
3. Overhead Lat Stretch- can be done standing also (:30-1:00 daily)
4. Pec Stretch- can be done in the corner also (:30-1:00 daily)
Activation Exercise
- Cobra- 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps (2-3 days per week) great exercise to strengthen the mid back and lats taking stress off of the upper back/neck
Summary
When we approach training for this we want to first administer an assessment which singles out the exact muscles that need to be either lengthened or strengthened. The lengthening exercises can be done at least 5 days per week for :30-1:00 for 1-2 sets while the strengthening exercises can be done for 2-3 sets at 10-15 reps for 2-3 days per week (Clark et al., 2014). Be very consistent on the rehab exercises in addition to minimizing daily habits that reinforce poor posture and repetition.
Reference:
Clark, M. A., Lucett, S. C., & Sutton, B. G. (2014). NASM Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training. Jones & Bartlett Learning.