Story at-a-glance
- Regularly practicing neck exercises — such as lateral bending, occipital neck flexibility, eight-point isometric, and the figure eight exercise — will significantly increase your neck flexibility and range of motion, and reduce stiffness
- These exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles around your cervical spine, thereby reducing the risk of neck pain and preventing injuries and degeneration
- These neck exercises can also improve your posture by aligning the spine correctly. This, in turn, can alleviate tension headaches and chronic neck pain
- The figure eight neck exercise, in particular, challenges balance and proprioception, enhancing mental sharpness and body awareness, which is crucial for daily activities and overall mobility
- From beginners to more advanced individuals, these exercises can be adapted to fit anyone’s fitness level, emphasizing the importance of starting slow, listening to your body, and progressively increasing intensity
An astonishing 68% of adults have damage in their discs, or cushions, between their cervical vertebrae. This is referred to as cervical disk degeneration. If you don’t have it now, you will likely get it unless you are involved in a neck mobility program. An early sign of this might be noticing a popping or cracking sound, known as crepitus, when you rotate your neck.
Continue reading “Mobility Medicine — How to Maintain Neck Flexibility”
