6 Sources of Stiff and Painful Necks
Learn about the six potential sources that can cause stiff and painful necks. Discover how limited shoulder mobility, poor posture, dehydration, muscle tension, sleeping position, and poor ergonomics can all contribute to neck pain.
Alex Bernier
Posture and exercise knowledge for a lifetime. I help people become self-sufficient with their workouts.
-
This thread is for people with stiff or painful necks.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
The most vital step to relief is finding and addressing the root causes.
Here are six potential sources fuelling your problem: pic.twitter.com/pRqWEo8SGv -
1/ Limited Shoulder Mobility
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
Shoulder freedom is essential to your neck's well-being.
Your mobility decreases because your arms only ever move in one direction to hold something in front of you.
This restriction stresses your neck every time you move them. pic.twitter.com/zSz1j4NrZd -
I use the Prone Around-the-World motion to assess and resolve shoulder mobility problems.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
Many people struggle at first.
They can barely move their arms and hear all sorts of crunching noises. pic.twitter.com/neUGvBjuFv -
2/ Weak External Rotators of the Shoulders
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
Many people I assess lack the strength to rotate their arms outward.
The muscles in charge are too weak.
The resulting constant inward rotation of the shoulders puts a lot of stress on your neck. pic.twitter.com/mDvWjdE2gR -
I use various forms of external rotations to resolve this weakness.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
My favorite is the Side-Lying variation because there is no leverage to compensate without breaking form.
Keep your elbow on your torso at all times. pic.twitter.com/Q1MKVosFxQ -
3/ Weak Neck Extensors
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
The muscles that pull your head back directly impact your neck.
They must be able to hold the weight of the world in place.
Your head falls forward without this vital strength. pic.twitter.com/CEMPEIV259 -
This weakness is common in my assessments.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
I observe these muscles through Chin Tucks.
The person fails to pull their head back, sometimes at all. https://t.co/fYqP6mdx6W -
4/ Weak Lower Trapezius
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
The Trapezius is a big, diamond-shaped covering half of your back.
Its upper fibers pull your shoulder blades up and tend to be much stronger than the lower ones pulling them down.
This constant, upward pressure puts a lot of stress on your neck. pic.twitter.com/0OPtqgJh96 -
I see this performance all the time. One arm is usually way worse than the other, meaning the shoulder blades are not supported evenly from the bottom.https://t.co/cjuW3mttY0
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023 -
T3 Raises resolve this issue:https://t.co/AzGcAMLECC
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023 -
5/ Weak Rhomboids
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
The muscles between your shoulder blades pull them together.
Weakness drags them apart.
I assess many people with neck issues who struggle to control their rhomboids as if the muscles were disconnected. -
T-Raises are excellent to expose a Rhomboid weakness.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
The person can barely lift their arms off the floor, and they will swing them forward or backward to compensate. pic.twitter.com/XoLcvwdyJQ -
6/ Stiff Masseter and other jaw muscles
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
Our powerful jaw muscles carry a lot of excessive tension, especially for chronic teeth clenchers.
This pressure carries over into the nearby neck.
Massage your jaw muscles daily to release this excessive stress.https://t.co/LQoeCYFUng -
Many people walk around with all these red flags and have no idea why their postures are a wreck and why they live in agony.
— Alex Bernier (@mythoughtfood) March 4, 2023
Address these root causes to vastly improve the quality of your life.