How to Alleviate Neck and Shoulder Tension: Part 1
Postural Issues and Exercises for Neck and Shoulder Health
Neck and shoulder health is a cornerstone of good posture, but especially more during prolonged sitting. We often sit for a long time when we are at work, driving, or in our case, crafting. It is tempting to ignore our bodies when we are immersed in our craft, but in order to make sure there is longevity to our crafting, it is imperative to take care of our necks and shoulders. Optimizing your crafting ergonomics can help you decrease risk of musculoskeletal injury, prevent chronic pain, improve your breathing ability, and decrease tension and stress.
In this post, we will take a look at common postural issues in the neck and shoulders, and learn how to address it through specific exercises.
3 Common Postural Issues in the Neck and Shoulders
Forward Head/Neck
Rounded shoulders
Hiked up shoulders
Let’s dive in!
Forward Head/Neck
When the head comes forward over the neck, it puts a lot of tension on the back of the neck, particularly the upper trapezius and levator scapula muscles that end up too tight. The head weighs about 25 pounds (11kg), and every inch that the head comes forward adds an additional 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of force down through the base of the neck. No wonder your neck can feel achy and sore!
This forward head posture is often accompanied by a jutted out chin. Instead of the chin neatly tucked so that the bottom is parallel to the ground, the chin comes forward and out, which also brings the ears forward over the shoulders. This posture leads to inactive deep neck flexor muscles, which are important for maintaining the head in alignment over the neck. Headaches can also commonly happen since this posture tightens the suboccipital muscles. The suboccipital muscles surround several nerves that when irritated, can cause headaches radiating up the back of the head. Another muscle that ends up tight is the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM for short). The SCM inserts on the bone behind the ear, so tightness in this muscle can contribute to jaw pain as well as neck pain.
To address this posture, there are several stretches and strengthening exercises I recommend. These can be done as often as you like throughout the day.
Levator Scapula stretch: Sit up straight. Place your hand on top of your head, then turn your head 45 degrees so that you are looking at the inside of your elbow. Gently pull your head down, bringing your chin in towards your chest. You should feel the stretch going down to the opposite shoulder blade. Hold for 30 seconds.
Chin Tuck: Sit up straight and comfortably. Look straight ahead, then gently bring your chin back, creating a double chin. You should still be able to look straight ahead (not down!). Hold for 10 seconds, then relax.
SCM stretch: Sit up straight and with your back supported - the best place to do this is sitting on the floor against the couch, or in a high back chair that comes up to below your shoulders. Turn your head to look at one side, then tilt your head backwards. If you are sitting against the couch, you can rest your head on the couch or a pillow. You should feel the stretch going down the front of your throat. Hold for 30 seconds if able (this might be very uncomfortable!).
The upper trap stretch shown here will be covered further down in the article!
Chin Tuck for strengthening
Rounded Shoulders
Many of our daily activities contribute to a rounded shoulder posture - specifically, rounded forward. Whether it is working at a computer, driving, or crafting, it is common to find yourself sitting or standing with your shoulders rounded forward. This posture can result in weak upper back muscles and tight chest muscles - which can end up inhibiting your ability to take a deep breath, which is important for activating the parasympathetic nervous system (which helps your body to calm down and destress!).
The specific muscles we are talking about are weak rhomboids, middle/lower trapezius and latissimus dorsi, and tight pectoralis major and minor muscles. Try to imagine the humerus, or upper arm bone, in the pictures curling forward. Can you see how that can cause the pecs to be tighter? And the lats, rhomboids, and traps, to be overlengthened? Or try to picture it on yourself. The pecs are on your chest, and the other muscles are along your upper and mid back.
The thoracic spine, the section of our spine that spans the shoulders to the low back, also ends up stiff, which can contribute further to the feeling of stiffness in the mid back.
To address this postural issue, we have to do the reverse - strengthen the upper back muscles, and stretch the front of the chest. If you have ever tried to sit up straight with your shoulders back and found it difficult, it is likely due to these muscle imbalances. Doing the below exercises 5x/week consistently can drastically improve your posture. Another cue I like to give for helping people to unround their shoulders is to imagine that you are trying to catch a raindrop in the divot of your collarbone. This imagery will help you lift your sternum up towards the sky, which then allows your shoulders to naturally fall back.
Wall Angels: Stand with your back against a wall and raise your arms overhead, forming a "W" shape with your arms against the wall. Slowly slide your arms up and down the wall while keeping your back flat against it, engaging your upper back muscles. This exercise also stretches out the front of your chest as you maintain contact with the wall the entire time. Wall angels can be very uncomfortable, but I promise they get better the more you do them. Start with 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Pec and Lat Stretches: Lay down on a foam roller, or roll up a large towel if you don’t have a foam roller. The roller/towel should be parallel to your spine. Bring your arms up, and then let them fall back over your head to stretch the latissimus dorsi muscles. To stretch the pecs, let your arms fall out to the side. It is not uncommon for your arms to tingle or go numb, so adjust how long you stretch to your comfort level.
Scapular Squeezes: Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed and elbows bent at your side. Squeeze your shoulder blades together while pulling your elbows back, as if you're trying to hold a pencil between them, then release. Avoid letting your shoulders rise up towards your ears. Start with 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. For a bonus, rotate your forearms out while keeping your elbows tucked in!
Thoracic mobility: I curated the Half Foam Roller in my shop for the purpose of improving thoracic mobility. Thoracic mobility is the ability of your thoracic spine (or upper/mid back) to move and rotate. The more mobile your upper spine is, the less pain. The half foam roller was chosen as the half moon shape elevates you off the ground, but not so much that it is uncomfortable to use. Each purchase of the half foam roller comes with a video tutorial and a bonus thoracic mobility exercise video.
Hiked up shoulders
Shoulders hiking up towards the ears is another common postural issue - and particularly common when we are stressed or anxious. As you’re reading this, take note of your shoulders. Take a deep breath and relax them down. See? Many of us carry tension and stress in our upper trapezius muscles, and this muscle’s action is to elevate the shoulders. To address this, a simple neck stretch is incredibly helpful. I also find it helpful to close my eyes and focus on taking long, deep breaths. Alleviating any tension or stress also goes a long way to helping the muscles relax.
Upper trap stretch: Sit up tall, place your hand on your head and gently bring your head down to one shoulder. To feel more of a stretch, sit on the hand of the arm that your neck is tilting away from. You should feel the stretch going down the upper part of the shoulder that you are tilting away from. Hold for at least 30 seconds.
Image from KenHub.com, showing the trapezius muscle. The upper trap is the upper third spanning the head, neck, and top of shoulder.
Upper trap stretch is the first one shown in this video.
Let’s Bring it Together
Try incorporating these exercises into your daily crafting routine! A great way is to do them right before, or right after you craft. Or, when you get up to take a break every 30 min - 1 hour. Building these into your routine is the hardest part, but I promise after you do it, it is so rewarding. Start with picking 2-3 exercises to make it easier and more accessible, and expand from there.
Stay tuned for “Part 2: Ergonomic Tips and Self-Care Strategies for Optimal Neck/Shoulder Health”, where we will discuss ergonomic tips for maintaining healthy head/neck and shoulder posture!
