Chiropractor in Seattle WA Discusses Neck Stretches Part 1

Hey everyone, it’s Dr. Zapata with Emerald City Spinal Care in Seattle and I am a chiropractor. This Tip of the Week is going to be a special one because it is going to be part one of a two part series. The topic is neck stretches, and as a chiropractor I have patients ask me all the time what sort of neck stretches they should be doing in order to increase mobility in the neck.

Let’s dive right in! Did you know that neck pain affects 50 to 70 percent of people at some point in their lives? Yikes! Now, by stretching and strengthening neck muscles, it will help increase blood flow to an area to help repair tissues and increase mobility in the spine. So, I’d like to show you two stretches that you can do while sitting in a chair. Also, please note that while I have described the stretches below, it may be easier to follow simply by watching the video that goes with this blog post!

• Stretch # 1: This stretch is for your scalene muscles. These are muscles that run along the side of your neck. In order to stretch this muscle group, you will want to do the following:
  • While seated in a chair, take your right hand and grab onto the seat bottom. While holding onto the seat, you will want to gently bend your neck to the opposite side of where you are holding onto the chair until you start to feel a gentle stretch along the side of your neck. Hold this stretch for ten seconds and then repeat it on the other side.

• Stretch # 2: This stretch is for your levator scapulae muscles, which is situated at the back and side of the neck. To stretch the left side, you will want to turn your face to the right and gently bend your head down until you feel a gentle stretch along the top of your right shoulder blade. Hold this position for ten seconds and then repeat it on the other side.

That wraps up part one of this two part series on neck stretches. Be sure to check out the blog post and video next week for part two! If you like what you read, and want more original content like this, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on Facebook.

For all of us at Emerald City Spinal Care, thank and have an amazing week!

- Dr. Zapata and the Emerald City Spinal Care Team in Seattle WA