Neck pain is common to many but how you deal with it what makes the difference. Some may result in painkillers, but this will not provide a solution to this problem. You need a chiropractor to deal this. No medication will be required thus it’s good for your health. Exercise training is a crucial part of chiropractic management process. The type of exercises that the chiropractor may advise is determined by the possible cause of the pain. This could be posture, coordination, stretch, and strengthening. In this article, we will take a close look on some of the most important exercises concerning posture.
Among all the four causes of neck pain, posture has been identified as the biggest culprit. The forward head carriage is the main reason why many will complain of neck pain since it results in excess weight on the neck. As a matter of fact, if you look around crowded places train stations, malls or bus stops, there are many examples of this faulty posture. It is estimated that 66-90% of the population is a victim of this posture. Apart from causing neck pain, forward head posture is associated with other conditions such as high blood pressure, tension headaches, pinched nerve and more. Here are some of the important exercises for fault posture:
1) Performing an abdominal brace
Performing an abdominal brace helps in tightening your core by contracting your belly muscles. It is not necessary to brace at a 100% since 20-50% is enough to rectify this faulty posture. To achieve the best out of this exercise, you should relax and contract several times until you can feel the muscle tighten up. Don’t slouch and always keep a curve in your back when doing performing it.
2) Lift your chest
Lifting your chest while walking or in a sitting position will significantly improve your posture. By doing this exercises, it will automatically bend your head backward thus rectifying the forward head posture. For the chest to be lifted the head will have to bend backward and this will help it regain its accurate position. You must at the same ensure that you do not exaggerate the chest lifting since it can result to back problems. This exercise will also improve the slouched upper back posture and the rounded shoulders. It is an exercise that you can do by yourself with simple instructions.
3) Look straight ahead
The main reason why many people will be a victim of faulty posture is the failure to look straight ahead. It results in bending the neck thus adding extra weight to it, and the result will be strain and pain. Looking straight ahead helps in reducing unnecessary weight on the neck and at the same time rectifying the faulty posture. Whether you are sitting or standing, always try to look straight forward and you reduce the neck pains significantly.
4) Perform chin retractions
This is the last but not the least of the chiropractic exercises for correcting faulty posture. Performing chin retractions helps in restoring normal head position on top of the spine. It allows for the neck muscles to relax thus reducing the pain. You just need to pull the chin back and stretch the back of the neck to perform this exercise. Perform at least 10 retractions every hour gently and slowly for 8 hours a day to get the best out of this exercise.
These are the main chiropractic exercises for correcting faulty posture to treat neck pain. Be on the lookout as we bring you other exercises touching on the stretch, coordination, and strength to treat neck pain on our next articles.