Do you have a Stiff Neck after your Workout? Here are a few Quick Fixes to Ease your Neck Pain and S
An active lifestyle is essential for staying healthy and feeling great. Yet, sometimes as a result of executing some specific moves, such as a swimming stroke or golf swing, may end up causing neck pain. According to popular physical therapists, most people don’t realize that their activity is to blame for their neck issues.
Many shoulder muscles also attach to the neck, overuse of muscles in the shoulder and neck may result in Neck Pain, a pinched nerve in the shoulder or the neck area, or strain on the joints in the neck
One of the biggest contributors to neck pain according to orthopaedists at Harvard is poor posture during activities. She goes on further to explain that some people keep their shoulders slouched and chin forward, instead of pulling the chin down for a neutral posture. This creates tension in the neck along with the surrounding muscles, making the chin stick out. The brunt of that stress is put on the trapezius muscle which is a large diamond-shaped muscle starting at the base of the skull and extends halfway down the back. This may result in dull, achy pain or also headaches.
General Causes for Neck Pain and their Quick Fixes
Here are a few common activities that result in neck pain and their quick fixes to help you counteract bad form.
Cycling: While cycling, you may tend to lean over to reach the handlebars of a mountain or a road bike resulting in you hunching your shoulders up to your ears and also round your back.
Quick Fix: In a subtle motion bring your shoulder blades back and down while still leaning forward and stick your chest out while slightly arching your back
Gardening: Simple activities like reaching very far, looking down while crouching, and lifting heavy objects all stretch your neck that may end up straining your neck muscles.
Quick Fix: Take frequent breaks; use your leg muscles to help lift heavy objects; pull your chin back as you look down and stay close to the area you are working in
Swimming: While swimming when we turn our head to breathe, always turning our head to the same side can result in building muscles on one side of the neck while shortening them on the other side; also doing styles like breaststroke may leave you with strained neck muscles.
Quick Fix: Alternate swimming using both breaststroke and crawl periodically; while doing crawl try to switch breathing side occasionally.
Yoga: Turning your neck too far when looking behind and looking up when doing a "Downward dog" position, such exercises can extend the neck and cause stress in the neck joints.
Quick Fix: Limit how far you turn your head while keeping your chin toward your neck for a neutral position
Conclusion
Simple stretches like slowly tipping the head to the side touching the ear to shoulder, then doing the same on the other side may help relieve your neck pain, but avoid this if it increases pain. Having a bad form while doing physical activities is the major reason for causing pain in the neck, shoulder, and core muscles. So try to strengthen these muscles and follow a good form to avoid these pains.
If you have been having recurring pain in these areas and would like a professional to oversee your issue. You can book an appointment with us at 1 Health Medical Centre to have a\our expert physical therapist prescribe you the best solution to help get rid of your pain for good.