Neck Exercises to Increase Neck Range of Motion

With the increasing use of technology and various gadgets, the most commonly affected body part is the neck. As a part of healthy fitness routine neck exercises are a must. They can prove to be beneficial not only to prevent neck problems but also to improve range of motion and can reduce mild discomfort or pain. Knowing some of the best neck exercises to increase neck range of motion can help you plan a proper fitness routine or focus on improving your neck flexibility to keep neck pain at bay.

Neck strain is a common problem that often goes unnoticed until it starts hurting or affecting the movements. With a normal neck range of motion, you should be able to move your neck in all directions without any discomfort. But if you have neck pain, muscle tightness, or any particular condition affecting your neck movement your range of motion is restricted.

Free movement of the neck is necessary to protect your joints and soft tissue around the neck. A typical neck exercise program consists of flexibility, stretching, and strengthening exercises. Flexibility neck exercises can help reduce stiffness and improve elasticity and your range of motion. Stretching can help stretch the muscles to ease free movement and strengthening helps build muscles to support the joint movement.

In a 2017 review, eight studies were discussed to understand the effectiveness of exercise in office workers with non-specific neck pain. In these, stretching and strengthening neck exercises were performed. It concluded that endurance and stretching exercises showed significant improvement in neck pain as compared to performing no exercises.¹

In a 2015 study, an 8-week intensive home-exercise therapy program was given to intensive care nurses. It showed significant improvement in cervical range of motion in flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation, and lumbar range of motion.²

A 2007 study concluded that manual therapy and stretching were effective in reducing spontaneous and strain-related neck pain in a patient with chronic neck pain.

However, there was minor improvement in neck muscle strength, which shows that these are not enough for improving muscle strength.³

This means that neck exercises can help increase neck range of motion and reduce pain. Flexibility and stretching can help improve range of motion. But to strengthen the neck muscles, which can prevent further injuries or neck pain, neck strengthening exercises are equally important.

Keeping this in mind, let us look at the most effective neck exercises to increase neck range of motion. These exercises mainly focus on improving your neck mobility and gradually improve your strength as you as able to progress.

• Chin Tucks – Sit upright with your shoulders straight. Gently pull your chin inwards towards your chest, without bending the neck, and look straight. Feel the stretch and then release. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Look Up (Cervical Extension) – Attain the chin tuck position and turn your neck upwards, look up towards the ceiling, without raising the shoulders. Do it comfortably and come back to the original position. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Look Down (Cervical Flexion) – Attain the chin tuck position and turn your neck downwards, look down towards the floor, without bending your back. Do it comfortably and come back to the original position. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Turn Your Neck – Sit upright with your shoulders straight. Gently turn your neck towards the left, looking towards your extreme left without bending it forwards/backward or raising the shoulders. Hold and then bring to the original position. Then move your neck to the right side and follow the same process. Ensure that your turn only till you are comfortable. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Side Bend (Lateral flexion) – in the same seated position, slowly tilt your neck to the left such that your left ear moves towards the left shoulder. Do not bend forward or backward, or sideways, only tilt the neck. Hold and feel the stretch on the opposite side of the neck muscles. Now repeat the same on the right side. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Neck Rotations – Sit upright with your shoulders straight. Begin your rotation by turning to the left, then turn the neck backward and try to look at the ceiling, then turn to the right and then come back to the original position. Make sure you move slowly and carefully. Repeat the same by starting from the right side. These are neck rotations in clockwise and anticlockwise directions. Repeat this 3 to 5 times.

Shoulder muscles support the neck movement so flexibility exercises of the shoulder are equally important. These can be best done in the standing position to ensure upright posture and free movement of hands. These include:

• Shoulder Shrugs – Stand straight with your arms by your sides. Gently raise your shoulders upwards as if you are shrugging. Hold for a second and release. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
• Arm Front Raises – Stand straight with your arms by your sides. Raise your arms towards the front, with elbows straight, and join your hands, palms touching each other. Raise your arms upwards with the joined hands so that the hands reach above your head fingers pointing to the ceiling with elbows straight and hands touching the ears. Bring it down slowly and back into the original position. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Arm Side Raises – Repeat the above process by keeping the arms stretched by the sides. Raise both arms from the sides to reach above your head and form a salutation pose with elbows straight, palms touching each other, and fingers pointing to the ceiling. Bring it down slowly and back into the original position. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• Shoulder Rotations – Stand straight with your arms by your sides. Raise your left hand in the front with the elbows straight and rotate it from the shoulders, first clockwise and then anticlockwise. Repeat this 5 times. Then perform the exercise with the right arm and rotate the right shoulder, repeating 5 times.
• Neck strengthening exercises include resistance exercises and are best performed under the guidance of an expert. Neck exercises to increase neck range of motion can be performed for general wellness, to maintain flexibility as well as to relieve mild pain and discomfort.

Prepare your body before performing neck exercises, particularly if you have chronic neck pain or morning stiffness. You may consider having a warm bath to loosen up the muscles. Performing warm exercises or gentle cardio to improve blood circulation is a good idea. Begin slowly and gradually increase the number of repetitions, if you are comfortable.

Once you can easily perform flexibility exercises you can consider strengthening exercises. Even if your pain stops or if you have any discomfort, continue with the exercise routine to prevent further problems. You can do flexibility exercises for neck range of motion daily, while it is advisable to do strengthening twice or thrice a week.

Move slowly, listen to your body, and get medical advice, if needed. If you experience any discomfort, stop, take a rest and get yourself evaluated.⁴

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