It’s amazing how much an issue like constant, or chronic, neck pain can affect your day. Your pain can make it harder to make it through a whole day of work. Checking messages on your smartphone can become a painful activity. You might even have difficulty mustering the energy to play with your kids. 

The reality is that many American suffer from chronic neck pain, and one medical study found that 30% of people who have neck pain will develop chronic symptoms. Physical therapists can take steps to help you treat your constant neck pain effectively. A common step your therapist may take is to show you how to do specific therapeutic exercises such as: 

1. Neck rolls

Constant tension in the neck and shoulder muscles is a common trigger for chronic neck pain. There are many stretching exercises that can help relieve the tension, and they can help reduce the tension and pain and even help you avoid future neck pain. An example of a stretching exercise your physical therapist may show you is the neck roll exercise. 

How to do the neck roll exercise

• Start by standing up straight or sitting up straight in a stable chair. 

• Slowly let your chin drop toward your chest. 

• Slowly rotate your head clockwise three times. 

• Switch directions and do three counterclockwise rotations. 

• To increase the benefits of this stretch, you can hold a specific position for a few seconds if you feel a lot of tension. 

• Repeat this stretch as necessary throughout the day. 

2. Prone shoulder lifts

There are several shoulder muscles that help provide stability for your neck and head. However, weakness in these muscles can contribute to constant neck pain. One exercise that can help strengthen your shoulders so they can better support your neck is the prone shoulder lift exercise. 

How to do the prone shoulder lift exercise

• Lie down on your stomach on a bed or yoga mat. You may need to put a small pillow or a folded towel under your forehead to properly position your neck. 

• Position your arms out in front of you.

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together. 

• Lift your arms off the ground about two to three inches. 

• Hold this position for three to five seconds. 

• Lower your arms and relax your shoulders. 

• Repeat the steps until you’ve done eight to 10 repetitions. 

Continuum Wellness offers effective treatment for constant neck pain

Fed up with living with constant pain in your neck? At Continuum Wellness, our team of physical therapy specialists can help you address your chronic neck pain. We’ll start by performing a free screening of your neck to determine the source of your pain. Next, our physical therapists will construct a unique therapy plan for you that’s designed to reduce your pain and prevent its recurrence. Such a plan can include techniques like: 

• Therapeutic exercises
• Manual therapy
• Ergonomic recommendations
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
• Dry needling
• Cupping
• At-home care
• Virtual therapy

Contact our team today for more information about our chronic pain treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment.