hey everybody it's doctor jo and
unicorn, broken unicorn Kali, and today i'm going to show you 10 stretches
for a stiff neck. so let's get started. so for stretches in general, if i don't
say otherwise, you really want to hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then do that
three times. that's kind of the gold standard, but the first couple ones you don't have to
hold for the full 30 seconds. so the first one is going to be a cervical rotation. you can
either hold this one for full the full 30 seconds, or you can shorten it by just doing a
10 to 15 second stretch on each side. for cervical rotation range of motion, you're just
going to turn your head to the side, almost like you're looking over your shoulder, and then back
the other way. number two is a cervical side bend. this is the same, you can hold it for 30 seconds
or you can do a shorter 10 to 15 second hold. for a cervical side bend range of motion, you're
going to bring your ear towards your shoulder, but don't bring your shoulder up to your ear.
number three is cervical flexion. same thing, that longer stretch or the shorter stretch.
for cervical flexion range of motion, you're just going to bring your chin
towards your chest and then come back up. number four. super sleepy cali says now
cervical extension. so again this is one i wouldn't actually hold this one for 30
seconds, especially since it's going back into extension. maybe that shorter 10 to
15 second hold. for cervical extension range of motion you're just going to
be looking up towards the ceiling, and then coming back down. number five are chin tucks. chin tucks are
my favorite. they're kind of a mix between an exercise and a stretch, so this is the same where
maybe just starting off you want to hold it for three to five seconds, and then work your way up
to that 30 second hold. for chin tucks in sitting, you're going to actually move your chin back.
it's not tucking it forward. so place your finger on your chin, and leave your finger in
one spot, and then tuck it in, and hold it. number six, an upper trap stretch. so this is
going to be that full 30 second hold, and you're gonna do three times on each side. for an upper
trap stretch, take the arm of the side that you want to stretch, and either push it downwards
or sit on it to hold that shoulder down. then take the other hand on the side, and just pull it
over towards your shoulder. holding that stretch. number seven, a levator scapulae stretch. so
again this one is that full 30 second hold. for levator scapulae stretch, the side that you
want to stretch, you're going to take your arm and put it up over your shoulder, and that's
to stabilize that scapula. then you're going to take your head down towards an angle almost
like you're looking towards the opposite knee. take your other hand and put it behind your
head, and give it a little extra stretch. number eight, scaling stretch or an anterior
scalene stretch. so we have anterior, middle, and posterior. so this one's more for the front ones.
for a scalene stretch, place your hand above your collarbone on the muscle. turn your head towards
the side you want to stretch, and then look up. number nine is going to be a neck rotation stretch
with a towel. some people call these snags. for a neck rotation stretch with a towel, take the
towel and put it behind your neck. grab one side to anchor it down and keep it there, then take
the opposite hand put the towel up over your chin across your ear, and you're going to pull upwards
and away when you rotate your neck to the side. and finally number 10 is going to be a neck
rotation with an opposite thoracic rotation, and this really helps get a stretch
all the way through your spine. for neck rotation with contralateral
thoracic rotation, place your hands across your chest. turn your neck one way and
then rotate your chest area the other way. so there you have it, those were 10 stretches for
a stiff neck. you can see it definitely relax miss unicorn Kali. if you'd like to help support my
channel, make sure and click on the link up there. and don't forget to subscribe by
clicking down there. and remember, be safe, have fun, and i
hope you feel better soon.
