I see a lot of clients who have neck pain or a combination of neck, upper back, and shoulder pain. Some of them are so used to it that they don’t even notice it any more! Whether your pain is a result of poor posture, sitting a lot while doing desk work, or an injury, Pilates can help you find relief. Of course, if your pain is from an injury, always get the green light from your doctor before starting a new form of exercise.
How Pilates Helps Relieve Neck Pain
Since neck pain is created by a variety of factors, there are several ways in which Pilates works to help you find relief.
Improved Posture. Pilates address your posture from the get-go. When you lay down on the mat or a reformer, your teacher will immediately see if you are off center, your shoulders are rounding forward, or if your held tilts back. Right away we can begin to work on adjusting and improving your posture.
Better Arm & Back Connections. When you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk and working on computers, your shoulders will round forward, hunch up to your ears, and your upper back can be overstretched and weak. Improving your posture will help you be more aware of your body position during the day. Pilates also will help you be more aware of how your arms connect to your back and teach you to move from the core. This will build up your back strength and teach you to move with more full-body awareness.
Lengthening The Body. Pilates is known for giving you a good stretch from head to toe. You will constantly hear your instructors say to “find more length”, reaching in both ways from your center. This helps to decompress the spine, including your neck.
Opening Up The Chest. When you are hunched over or have bad posture, your chest muscles become tight – which then pulls your shoulders in even more. Exercises that stretch out your chest are abundant in Pilates, helping you to open up while also stretching out the neck. Here are just a few to get you started:
- Long back stretch on the tower roll down bar
- Baby bird and swan on tower push through bar
- Teaser on the tower
- Saw on the mat
- Double leg kick on the mat
- Neck pull on the mat
- Stomach massage hands back
- Reverse push through
- Butterfly on tower arm springs
- Chest expansion on the arm chair, reformer, and tower
- And so on!
Find Relief With Pilates
As you build strength in your back and neck, and stretch out your neck and chest, you will start noticing reduced and eventually no neck pain at all.