Neck pain can really ruin your day. It can be brought on by sudden head movements or a bad sleeping position, but also by overexertion and illness. Normally the pain only lasts a couple of days, but there is a way to put a stop to it much faster.
Here’s how you can quickly and easily get rid of that annoying pain in the neck…
There are many different ways to deal with neck pain: massages, warm baths and medication can relax the muscles and provide relief. But this exercise not only stops the pain, it can actually prevent it from occurring again. And the only thing you need is a towel.
You can use the towel to create a leverage effect so you can move your head to the right, to the left and backwards and achieve a movement with no tension or strain. This method offers a wide range of exercises for you to try out.
The first step is to sit down on a chair and relax while keeping your spine straight. The back of the chair shouldn’t be too high. Now lay the towel over your neck muscles so that the upper edge is at ear level and the rest hangs like a cape over your back. Hold the corners of the towel at eye level and pull them softly from left to right. Allow your head to follow this movement.
Make sure that your body stays stationary from the neck down. And be careful! If the movement causes more pain, stop immediately.
If you only have pain on the right side, for example, you can hold both corners of the towel with your left hand in front of your face and let your right arm hang down.
Another exercise involves crossing your arms before taking hold of the corners of the towel. Here you’ll be holding the left corner with the right hand and the right corner with the left hand with both at eye level.
For the next exercise, hold the towel the same way you did in the first exercise and then move your head softly backwards. Hold the corners at eye level and pull your head towards them. After you’ve done this a few times, you can move the towel further down.
In the next stage you can wrap the towel so that you have a roll behind your neck. This gives your shoulders a workout at the same time.
This video shows all the various exercises in more detail…
Who’d have thought that a towel could have so many uses? But if you do try these exercises, be sure to stop immediately if you feel any pain — severe or chronic neck pain should always be dealt with by a medical professional.
