Neck and Shoulder Exercises

Often neck problems are postural in nature.  More specifically when we spend long parts of our day sitting certain muscle groups will shorten and others weaken leading to tight upper trapezuis muscles and a forward head carriage.  To help correct this it is important to strengthen the rhomboids and lengthen the pectoralis muscles.  The face pull exercise is ideal for this as it does both.

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Face Pull

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Face Pull with Overhead Press

The overhead press addresses the issue of weak lower trapezius muscles associated with sitting posture.  It can be combined with the face pull exercise, as shown here.

Exercise Equipment

I have found the resistance bands below perfect for these type of exercises.  Make sure they come with a ‘door anchor’ so you can simply attach the bands either above or below the door.  Amazon.co.uk often have offers on sets of bands.

Simple Neck Stretches to help develop long term strength and mobility in the neck muscles.

If your neck pain is caused by the postural factors outlined above it is important to address these factors first, that is why I recommend the face pull exercise before neck stretches.  More specifically, if you have forward head carriage due to postural factors your neck muscles will be fatigued and stretching them may aggravate your pain.  This is why I only recommend doing the neck stretches below when you have been out of pain for at least two weeks.