Can Pilates Help My Neck Pain?

Sitting at screens for too long? We know most of you still work from home at the moment. If you are suffering stiff neck or pain, Clinical Rehab Pilates could be right for you. It is an effective and active rehabilitation to relieve your neck pain by improving postural alignment, developing your core strength and getting rid of unnecessary tension around your spine.

What Causes Neck Pain?

Commonly a neck pain is caused by stress, poor posture and lack of movement around the neck spine. Most people develop forward head posture as they hunch their back and work over the desk or look at their phone for a long time. This results in increased tension and fatigue on the neck and shoulder muscles. 

Neck pain is always accompanied by shoulder blade pain, tight muscles, headaches and even pinched nerves. Pinched nerves or radiating pain on the arm usually happen when the excessive tension compresses on the spine and irritates the nerve which supplies the arm and hand.

Clinical Rehab Pilates Improves Postural Awareness

Clinical Rehab Pilates minimizes neck pain by strengthening our postural muscles in order to promote better spinal stability. The head, neck and shoulder alignment all play a crucial role in allowing the neck and shoulder stabilising muscles to do their job correctly. Thus, you will be more aware of your body alignment which also can help in injury prevention. 

Clinical Rehab Pilates Improves More Than Neck Muscle Strength

To improve the neck support, it is important to target not only the neck muscle strength but also a combination of flexibility and strength in your shoulders, upper back and abdominal core.

Thereby, Clinical Rehab Pilates exercise relieves neck pain by strengthening these deep core muscles and minimizing muscle imbalance. Here is why it is so effective in alleviating neck strain and pain.

Clinical Pilates Breathing Relaxes The Unnecessary Tension

Many people suffering from neck pain have altered breathing patterns due to overuse of accessory muscles of respiration like sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius and scalene muscles. This can further inhibit the lower rib cage expansion and abdominal motion.

Hence, the Clinical Pilates Breathing should be emphasized during the exercises as it can promote relaxation and let go the unwanted tension around the neck.

What Pilates Exercise Helps Neck Pain?

Pilates Breathing 

1. Sit up tall (or lie on floor) and place your hands on the lower ribcage.

2. Take a breath in and feel your ribcage widening outwards and deepening. Your fingers will move apart from each other.

3. Now exhale and imagine the sides of your ribcage sinking in towards each other.

4. Avoid excessive shoulder movement throughout.

5. Take your on pace. Repeat 10 times.

Breast stroke prep

1. Lie on your tummy with your hands resting down by your side and your forehead resting on a folded towel or mat.

2. Exhale, slide your shoulder blades down towards your hips and lift your arms off the mat to hip height.

3. Keep your head resting on the mat. Hold for 5 seconds. Return and repeat.

We hope this article is helpful for you. As always, call us if you need any advice. If you have any doubt feel free to contact us for telephysio or appointment booking for physiotherapy or Pilates session. Also, check out our instagram page for more useful tips and videos.