For common neck pain, neck pain exercises are a commonly prescribed treatment. Modest symptoms are usually not caused by a serious condition. Often it results from irregular stress on muscles and vertebrae caused by a simple activity.

Sometimes it’s an activity that you don’t normally perform – painting a ceiling is a great example, or having a long stint staring down the tubes of a microscope when you’re not used to it. Other times, it’s something that you do regularly that builds into a mild chronic condition, perhaps from a small change in the routine – staring at a maladjusted computer screen, for example, or getting a new office chair.

Whatever the cause, although mild pain is usually not serious, sometimes the seriousness of a condition is not immediately obvious. Your neck is an extremely sensitive part of your body, so it’s recommended that you consult a health care professional, such as a chiropractor, a therapist, or a doctor, before undertaking treatments.

Commonly Prescribed Neck Pain Exercises Are Easy To Do

Fortunately, mild conditions are often treatable with simple methods. Often, the approach is multipronged. Acetomeniphin or ibuprofen may be prescribed to relive the pain temporarily, but the core of the treatment is modest exercise that you can do at home or in your office, and usually take only a few minutes a few times a day. These movements are critical to reconditioning and strength building in the muscles that support your head.

The key to such conditioning is to start slowly and move gently. Radical or rapid movements, unless specifically prescribed, can exacerbate your injury. If you feel significant pain, stop.

The “Dorsal Glide” is one commonly used stretching activity. For the DG, while you’re standing straight with good posture, looking straight ahead, tuck your chin down as you gently move your head backward. You should feel the back of your head moving up, lengthening and stretching your neck. You can repeat this several times, gently, each time holding the most extreme comfortable position for a few seconds or so.

The next exercise goes by several names and has some variations, but the effect is the same. Start with the same good standing posture. Move gently. Lift your arms to shoulder height, palms outward, and forearms vertical. From this position, move your arms straight back, stopping before movement gets too uncomfortable, and hold the position for a few seconds, then repeat. You’ll feel stretching in both your back and your chest.

So called “isometric exercises” are also helpful for neck injuries. Again, there are several variations. The gist of isometric exercises is that you push against yourself, so that you apply force but don’t move. This provides some strengthening and conditioning. A common isometric exercise for neck injuries is to put your hand flat against the side, front, or back of your head and push your head and hand against each other so that neither moves.

Always remember to be gentle, and that apparently mild conditions can sometimes have serious causes that are best addressed with advice from a health care professional. If all goes well, simple neck pain exercises will do the trick and you’ll be on your way back to good health.