If you feel neck and shoulder pain, you’re likely looking to get rid of it as quickly as possible. For this, you might visit your doctor to discuss various treatment options and exercises to get pain relief. We have come up with the five best exercises for neck and shoulder pain relief that will deliver excellent results to achieve early recovery.
In brief, if we try to understand, we find that most neck and shoulder pain results from strains and sprains caused by overexertion, accidents, sports, or poor posture. There are other neck and shoulder injuries caused by rotator cuff tears, soft tissue injuries, pinched nerves, herniated discs, etc. Neck and shoulder pain can range from mild to severe and may cause stiffness, numbness, spasms, tingling, and soreness. In case you don’t feel comfortable or in a state of regular pain, then you should seek advice from a well-known physiotherapist for neck pain and having specialisation in shoulder pain as well. The doctor may recommend practical exercises for shoulder injuries and neck pain relief exercises for neck injuries.
When should you start exercising
First of all, to get relief from stiff neck pain, you should visit a physiotherapy specialist and explain your problem in detail. The physiotherapist will examine the patient and, if necessary, recommend tests. After the complete check-up, the doctor can suggest which exercises you should do and which you should avoid. Then you can go with the suggested neck and shoulder pain exercises to ease stiffness and pain. It would be better to do all these exercises under your physical therapist’s close supervision. If you go with prolonged rest, it may lead to some disadvantages.
If you feel severe pain while exercising or it persists, stop the exercise immediately and consult your doctor. It’s advisable not to engage in excessive exercise, especially if you have severe neck pain or weakness in your arms or hands.
Best 5 Exercises for Neck & Shoulder Pain
There are several causes of shoulder pain, which can be very short-lived or, in many cases, severe or long-term. The pain is not only caused by the shoulder joints; it may also involve the neck, where it can occur at the shoulder blade. Let’s have a quick look at powerful, more effective exercises for neck and shoulder pain. These exercises are considered among the best for pain management, and most physiotherapists recommend them to their patients. But before performing shoulder pain relief exercises or getting relief from stiff neck pain, you should always consult your doctor, as he/she is the right person to tell you what to do and what not to do.
Neck Tilt: – In case you want to perform the neck tilt exercise, then while sitting, tilt your head downwards so your chin can touch your chest. Now, hold ! And be in the same position for 5 seconds or as advised by your doctor. Thereafter, return to the starting or normal position. Just repeat the neck-tilt exercise 5 times, or as recommended by your doctor. Neck tilt is one of the best neck pain-relief exercises recommended by a physical therapist.
Side-to-Side Neck Tilt: It’s another one of the best exercises that can yield excellent results for neck and shoulder pain. To perform this exercise, tilt your neck toward one shoulder, with your ear leading, and hold for 5 seconds. Thereafter, return to the normal position. This exercise is also recommended to be repeated 5 times on each shoulder. It would be better to perform the exercise under the supervision of a physiotherapist for neck pain.
Neck Stretch: Also called the forward-and-backwards stretch, this involves moving the chin forward and back while keeping the body straight, stretching the throat. First, push your chin forward and hold for 5 seconds, then relax, and finally, from the starting position, push your chin backwards for exactly 5 seconds. Do this 5 times each, or as per your doctor’s suggestion. Neck stretching is also one of the proven & efficacious neck pain relief exercises to help you recover from the injury more quickly.
Shoulder Stretch: It’s one of the most effective exercises for shoulder pain. Please stand up, raise your shoulders, and hold them for 5 seconds. Thereafter, squeeze your shoulder blades backwards and hold them for 5 seconds, or as recommended by the doctors. Shoulder pain relief exercises are one of the best ways to achieve early recovery from shoulder pain.
Pendulum: A perfect exercise for shoulder pain relief; lean over or use a support table or chair with the non-injured arm. Now draw a circle with your dangled injured arm, which you should start with drawing with a smaller one, and then draw a larger one. The circle drawn should be increased gradually and also in reverse directions. Repeat the exact 5-10 times in a day.
Anodyne Spine Clinic for Neck and Shoulder Pain
Anodyne Spine is one of the best physiotherapy clinics in Gurgaon for neck and shoulder pain, where our team of physiotherapists and chiropractors closely examine the injury and provides an exclusive range of treatments for all types of neck and shoulder pain. We specialise in soft-tissue and spine-related injuries. Our physiotherapist for neck and shoulder pain can advise you on practical exercises for shoulder pain, as well as neck pain, and provide better treatment plans.