Posts Tagged "worst exercises for your neck"

Two exercises that WILL give you neck pain

Posted by mark in Neck Pain Essentials |

 There are a few exercises that do your body more harm than good. Here are two of the worst exercises you could possibly do to wreck your backs,  shoulders and neck. Do not do these ever!

Exercises and your Neck in the Gym-Three of the Worst

Posted by mark in Neck Pain Causes, Neck Pain Essentials |

You have a bad neck or have had a bad neck but would like to do some exercise in the gym or perhaps get back into doing some exercises again but the last thing you want to do is hurt your neck again right?

Well, here are three of the worst exercises that you could possibly do for your neck that you must avoid. The thing about these exercises is that they are not only bad for your necks but also shoulders and lower backs and you will see people in the gyms doing these exact same exercises every day.

 1. Lat pull downs behind your head

Here is an exercise that you see people commonly doing in the gym but it’s very damaging not only to your necks but also your shoulders. The biggest problem with this exercise is that you have to thrust your head forwards into a forward head position. If the term ‘forward head position’ is new to you I suggest you read the related links below because as you will see, it is THE major cause of neck pain. Also, the shoulders get stretched back too far and its compromises the shoulder complex. The ligaments get overstretched, as does the capsule, and this is definitely NOT what you want to be doing. You should be looking for ligament stability and overstretching them will do the exact opposite. Think of people who continually twist their ankles or have dislocated their shoulders several times. This is due in main part because their ligaments have lost their integrity and is no longer able to keep that joint ‘tight packed’ anymore because they are too long.

Ligaments should be tight to keep the joints stable and once they are over stretched they don’t tend to shrink back. Ligament laxity can then easily lead to rotator cuff problems. You want tight ligaments but flexible muscles and tendons.

The alternative to this is doing the lat pull downs in front of your head, bringing the bar down to your chest. Remember though to keep your back in a neutral position. To do this you need to use your abdominal muscles which means you are now also activating you core. The majority of people do this exercise with their back over arched and that puts pressure on the lower back tissues and facet joints leading to lower back problems.  I wrote about the core muscle in a previous blog and it’s especially important that you are using your core muscles when doing your workout.

Remember, for a healthy lower back its vital that you have  a strong and stable lower back and flexible mid back and hips, not the other way around.

2. Sit-ups

I have written about ‘not doing sit-ups ion previous posts’ but if you have not read them yet I s suggest you also take a look at my previous posts about the alternatives to building your core. Sit-ups are bad for your lower back and neck.

Remember that your core muscles are not just your stomach muscles. In order to strengthen your core to stabilize and protect your back there are two other extremely important muscle groups that also need to be addressed. If you are just strengthening your stomach muscles you are setting yourself up for imbalances in the area where it is imperative that you have balance, stability and muscle endurance.
The main reason you should not be doing sit-ups is because it damages your back! The posterior forces that are produced on your lower back discs are enormous! What this means is, do enough sit-ups and you will be on a short course to lower back pain and if enough damage is done you will more than likely get sciatica. Sciatica is where the nerve is being pressed or ‘impinged’.

More than that, most people when doing sit-ups have their hands behind their heads and of course when your stomach muscles get tired you start to use your hands and arms to initiate the sit up movement by pulling on your heads. This will again strain your neck in quick time.

The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety recommends that no more than 3400 newtons should be placed on the lower back because this or more than this amount of force is harmful to the lower back. Well guess what, a sit-up produces 3413 newtons of force. This means that every sit-up that you do is potentially damaging your back!

There are much better alternatives to doing sit-ups that will strengthen your abdominals.

3. Arm across body stretch

Here is another stretch that you should avoid. It is also bad for your neck because it lengthens muscles which are already overstretched. Let me explain:

You sit at a computer, or drive a lot or text on your cell phone, or read or eat and drink or sit slouched in the sofa watching television. All of these activities that you do each and every day add up to hours and hours of poor postural positioning. When you are hunched over your computer (a perfect example to think about is a person with a laptop on their laps) and your upper back is rounded, your head is in a forward head position and your shoulders are too far forwards and internally rotated. (Again, I have written more on this which you can click on in related links below). The vast majority of people sit continually in positions like this for hours each day and this causes major imbalances in the muscular structure. Your upper back muscles get way too overstretched and weakened and your chest muscles become too short and weak. Therefore, if you are pulling your arm across your body you are exacerbating your problem! You are pulling your shoulders further in the wrong direction. You are stretching your muscles that are already too long!

This will in turn make your neck problems worse because you are making it easier for your body to assume a forward head posture which is your enemy number 1! If you have a forward head posture consistently during the day you will never ever be neck pain free permanently.

Related Links

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain

The Best pillows-What the Studies Say

Neck pain-4 great ways to get it

Posted by mark in Neck Pain Causes |

Yes folks, here are some very easy ways to give yourself neck pain. I am sure many of you do these all day every day so let’s take a look at the first one.

All day you are Phone wedging:

This really is a fabulous way to get neck pain and is seen everywhere, especially now with the advent of cell phones. Everyone has a phone and it seems that we are using them practically all of the time. But also the office phone and the house phone are great contributors to neck pain as well. How many of you are guilty of talking on the phone whilst wedging the phone between your ear and shoulder. How often are you talking on the phone whilst leaving your two hands free to continue typing on the computer? This is a sure-fire way to continually contract those muscles and eventually give you neck pain. Then you will have muscle imbalances, perhaps trigger points in the muscles which cause pain and dysfunction and you will be well on your way to chronic neck pain.

All day you are chin jutting:

This is another super way to give you neck pain. It’s not only the most common but also the fastest way. I have written at great length in my other posts on neck pain and posture and exactly what the mechanisms are which produce this type of neck pain but it’s basically being in a head- forward posture. You should have your head slightly retracted not pushed forward. Think of your daily activities, at the computer, driving the car, eating and drinking. By far the most common of these is the dreaded computer. How many of you peering into the screen with your head protracted-here is a reminder. If you were to hang a string from your chin, it should fall onto your chest not straight down onto the floor. If it goes to the floor you’re probably with a head forward posture straining your ligaments and well on your way to neck pain(if you don’t already have it), shoulder impingement problems, pinched nerves radiating pain, numbness and/or tingling into the arms, a tense upper back and shoulders just to name a few.

All day you are slouching:

Number three on the list is slouching. I am not just talking about work at the computer which I am sure many of you do. Remember, if your lower back is not in good position; meaning that you are sitting upright with the small inward arch in your lower back, your neck has no chance whatsoever. How many of you finish a day of strenuous slouching only to go home and sit in your favourite chairs in the lounge room to continue slouching. If your back is in a big C shape you are doing a great job to not only give yourself neck pain but also get the daily double and have lower back pain as well. If you don’t sit with your lower back in good position you are well on your way to disc bulges, herniations, prolapses, buttock pain and sciatica. I have also written about these in much more depth in my previous posts.

At the end of a hard days slouching and wedging its time to read in bed:

And now its time to peel yourself out of the low sofa, grunt and groan, lie back in bed, take it easy, prop 3 pillows behind your head and do some reading. What a wonderful way to really hurt both your neck and back at the same time. Not only is your lower back without its inward arch straining the ligaments again, but also your head is pushed forward into the chin jutting position. A much better way to do this is put the pillows behind your lower back and sit upright with your head slightly retracted and interchange this position with lying on your stomach reading. In fact, when you watch TV, get down on the floor at intervals instead of spending hours slouching in your chair and spend some time lying on your stomach like you did when you were a child. Lay on your stomach propped on your forearms to give your back some well deserved extension-by god it needs it. And the more you get used to it, the better it will feel and you will want to do this regularly.

So, correct your posture at all times, stop wedging the phone between your head and shoulder-buy a headset if need be and stop reading in bed with your head pushed forward and lower back slouched. You will be pain free; will not need to see your chiropractor, physiotherapist, acupuncturist or masseur anywhere near as often and you will not need to be popping down ibuprofen like candy.

Sweet dreams.