5 Neck Exercises to Strengthen and Prevent Cervical Spondylosis

Did you know! Mild cervical spondylosis can be improved with exercise or physical therapy. It also helps prevent progression and relieve symptoms of the disease. The exercises use only simple equipment that every household already has and take only a short time each session.

Who is at risk of cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is common among working-age people and the elderly, partly due to daily lifestyle habits such as sitting in front of a computer for long periods, slouching, or looking down at a mobile phone. If we do not take care of our posture, exercise, or adjust our habits, one day we may start to experience neck pain that gradually spreads to the arms and hands, causing numbness and weakness, eventually making it difficult to live daily life as before. Wouldn’t it be better if we regularly exercised our neck to prevent the disease before it occurs?

5 Neck Exercises to Restore Muscles and Relieve Pain

Today we have 5 physical therapy or neck exercises to strengthen neck muscles, which help relieve pain. They consist of two important parts: stretching the neck and shoulder muscles and strengthening the muscles using various postures.

1. Lying Down Position Use a towel as a pillow and support the back of the head, tucking the chin down slightly. Hold for 30 seconds.
2. Sitting Position Sit upright, look straight ahead without tilting the head down or up too much, and use a resistance band around the back of the neck. Gently pull the band with your hands and hold for 30 seconds.
3. Standing Position Stand against a wall and place a towel behind the back of the head. Slightly tighten the abdomen, spread both arms out, bend elbows at 90 degrees, slowly raise arms into a V shape, then lower them into a W shape while pressing the back of the head into the towel.
4. Neck Muscle Stretching Can be done sitting or standing. Interlock your hands at the back of the head and press the head down. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 3 times.
5. Side Head Exercise Slowly turn your head to the side. Do not tense or raise your shoulders during the movement. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 5 times on both left and right sides.

For those who do not yet have neck pain, these exercises can be adapted to slow down premature degeneration.

However, the long-term way to prevent cervical spondylosis is to prevent symptoms before they occur by exercising neck muscles and adjusting sitting posture, work habits, or lifestyle that increase the risk of cervical spondylosis.