Let me ask you a question.
If you could do one exercise for your neck to erase and prevent pain, maintain range of motion and keep it’s joints tissues as healthy as possible for the rest of your life… would you do it? Oh and it should only take a few minutes to do. And this is without having the best adjustment from a Chiropractor.
I’m hoping everyone’s answer is the same. Today’s evidence from research and technology is allowing experts to easily share knowledge. We Chiropractors, and other manual therapists, now know A LOT about how to improve and preserve the health of our joints and soft tissues.
Joint health is something everyone should be concerned with. After all, healthy joints are absolutely necessary for movement. And without movement, life just isn’t the same. Trust me, I’ve been there and witnessed first hand how destructive a broken down hip or knee can be on someone’s lifestyle and happiness. Keep reading and I’ll show you how to build healthy and strong joint tissue for the rest of your life.
This post will focus on the joints of the neck (cervical spine). The simple exercise below will repair the joints of your cervical spine and improve their health and longevity.
THE BEST NECK EXERCISE KNOWN TO MAN
You can be sitting or standing, it doesn’t really matter.
CHIN TUCK: Set your posture. Lengthen your spine and squeeze your shoulder blades back and down. Retract your cervical spine. Move your chin straight backwards, without lifting it up. (Try to make a double chin.)
FLEX: Flex your neck joints one-by-one starting at the top and working down. You have seven segments in your cervical spine, so keep that in mind.
ROTATE: When you’ve flexed your entire cervical spine, hold your chin tucked back and slowly turn your head to one side. Hold for as long as is comfortable and then turn to the other side. Slowly reverse out of this position.
TIPS:
- Inhale, into your lower abdomen.
- Stabilize all joints, to isolate the movement at the target area.
- Hold the rotational component as long as possible.
If part of the exercise is painful, skip that range of movement because something is wrong!
You’ll then need to find yourself the best manual therapist in your area. Could be a skilled Chiropractor, Physiotherapist or Massage Therapist; it doesn’t really matter as long as they are skilled and experienced. Read reviews from their past patient’s to know for sure. Don’t make the mistake of NOT doing your research here.
If you know my story, you know I’ve overcome tremendous injury through self treatment. I don’t only want to be a life-long student to help my patients as a Chiropractor in Oakville, I also want to perfect my own physical function, keep my own joints healthy for the rest of my life and teach my sons the same.
Stay healthy my friends.
