If you are in pain you probably have been searching frantically for some neck exercises to do to ease you pain. If you have looked far and wide you have probably also noticed that there are a wide range of exercises out there available to you. But which ones to do? Do the wrong ones and you could make yourself considerably worse!
If you have a disc bulge or herniation it will more than likely be a posterior one as the majority are posterior bulges. The majority happen also around about the level of C7. I say the majority and this is nothing more than a brief outline. However, if you were to seek out exercises to lessen your pain and pinched nerve symptoms in your arm I suggest you look at ‘McKenzie Neck exercises’. These will help push the disc in the opposite direction away from the nerve. They should be done at least every two hours and you should see a reduction of symptoms in your arm or hands (depending on where your radiating symptoms happen to be). If the pain/numbness/pins and needles start to subside then that is a green light to continue doing these exercises to remove your pain. If the symptoms are worsened by doing these exercises you should stop them and you could try them again the next day when you neck has settled down a bit(if your neck if very acute). It is however, normal to have some discomfort in your neck when doing these exercises but that is all that it should be; nothing more than that-a bit of discomfort.
The major thing you are looking out for is whether your symptoms in your arm are getting better or worse from your exercises. This is telling you whether the exercises are making your condition better or worse and if the disc bulge is being directed away from the nerve or not.
If your symptoms are getting better doing the retraction exercises you should not do any flexion exercises. Do not do any exercises like bringing your chin to your chest. This will only push your disc further into the wrong direction.
A final note: please don’t listen to your well meaning friends. I had a client last week who had done this and had been doing everything that her friends had been telling her from yoga classes doing backbends to doing head stands. She could not have been doing much else to make her symptoms worse. All of the exercises she was doing pushed her disc in the wrong direction pinching the nerve more by bulging the disc further. She had been in severe pain for 2 months and after I had seen her she was pain free in minutes-after 2 months of suffering!
Related Links:
McKenzie Neck Exercises for pinched nerves
Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do
About Me
Mark Perren-Jones has worked throughout the world’s health spas and health clinics. He did the majority of his study (7 years) in Australia and has treated thousands of clients over the past 20 years with all sorts of neck and back problems. He has studied acupuncture, massage, joint manipulation and mobilization, kinesiology, reflexology, Thai massage, Bowen technique and many other modalities to understand which therapies gets the best therapeutic results and which don’t for particular neck and back problems.
With his 20 years of clinical experience, years of diligent study and research Mark has put together this site so that you can benefit directly from his work. You will be taught not only how to treat your own pain but as importantly what causes your pain in the first place. With the knowledge you gain to remove the causes of your neck and back pain, means you will not have to suffer anymore. 
I have my new DVD out now which will show you in my easy 3 step approach how to alleviate your own neck pain.
Neck pain and especially stiff necks are not difficult to treat once you know how ( ie.remove the major causes of your neck pain and stiffness.)
I will show you how simple it is to treat your neck pain & stiffness both quickly and easily.