Floor Exercises for Upper Back and Neck Pain

Here are some of my more commonly prescribed exercises for neck pain, upper back pain, pain near the shoulder blades, and headaches. Exercises shown include the elastic band chin tuck, open book, and cat cow with cat camel variation. The chin tuck is also covered in another video, but this version uses the elastic band for increased resistance. The open book exercise helps with upper back and rib rotational range of motion. The cat cow and cat camel help with range of motion in flexion and extension. The chin tuck movement helps reduce our tendency to allow our chins to poke forward, the single most common postural fault. The open book movement is often helpful with rib pain and pain near the shoulder blades. It is a motion most of us would just not achieve otherwise. The same is true with cat cow and cat camel, but with the extension motion being needed by most people.

Chin tuck exercise laying on back

Good posture is a funny thing. Most people are pretty sure that they slouch, others feel that they are at least trying. The only people I see in my practice with good posture is people who have dance experience, usually ballet. I should note that not all dancers have good posture, but what they do have is good body control. The best yogis have good posture as well, but that is usually if it is their full time job. If I ask an average Joe or Jane what good posture is, the result is often ridiculous. But it is not really their fault, no one has shown them otherwise.

The biggest common denominator is the chin. Yes, the chin. it sticks out forward too much. The reason is obvious: people are often in occupations that demand that they sit and work on a computer, or sit and drive, or just plain sit. And now we have smart phones. One more reason to lurch into a forward head position for hours on end. Between computers, tablets, and smart phones, chiropractors will be in business for a very long time. So whats to be done about it?

The single best exercise that you can do is the chin tuck. But it is not as easy as it sounds. A visual description is best, so here is a video with the chin tuck exercise and some variations on it. The important thing to note is that the chin comes in and the base of the skull goes backward. The net result is no tilting forward, and no tilting backward. The best results are achieved if you can start the movement by contracting the abs. No big crunch or sit-up is needed, just a simple ab tightening. Timing this with your breath is important as well. Forced exhalation activates the core abdominal muscles, so I use this trick to our advantage. Another reason is that I know my patients, and the tendency for one to hold their breath is very common. So common, in fact, I would expect it to happen if I said nothing about it. The simple act of tightening one's abdominal muscles and continuing to breathe is actually very difficult for many. Add the chin tuck on top of that is even harder. The effort is definitely worth it, because if you cannot perform this exercise, you cannot have good posture.