Tap to Read ➤

Exercises for a Pinched Nerve in the Neck

Bhakti Satalkar
The best way to treat a pinched nerve is to do certain exercises for a pinched nerve in the neck. Some of these are given below for your convenience.
A pinched nerve is the condition, where a single nerve or multiple nerves located in the inter-vertebral area of the neck are either compressed or stretched.
This can be caused due to a number of reasons. Lifestyle and accidents are among the most common causes. At times, sitting or standing in awkward position can also give rise to the condition. Repeated injury to the same part of the body is also among the causes.
Arthritis is also an important reason. The most common symptom is neck pain. Since it is a debilitating condition, people want to know the answer to the question, what should the line of treatment be, to get rid of it. An important line of treatment involves doing the exercises for a pinched nerve in the neck.

List of Exercises

Keeping the joints moving proves to be of immense help in getting rid of neck pain. For relief from this condition, it is important that the exercises be done sincerely everyday. They will prove to be helpful in strengthening the neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles.

# 1

Stand straight and place your hands next to your thighs. Now, slowly tuck your chin in, and slowly bring your head forward, as though you are about to touch your chin to your chest.
Then, gently raise your head up, but keeping your chin tucked in, bend your neck backwards as far as you can. This will have to be repeated 5 to 7 times about twice or thrice through the day.

# 2

Stand or sit straight. Keep looking straight as you tilt your head towards your right shoulder. Come back to the center slowly, and then, tilt it back to the left shoulder. It is important that your movements are controlled and not jerky, else you can aggravate the condition. Repeat the stretch 5 to 6 times twice or thrice a day.

# 3

This procedure is often a part of the physical therapy for this condition. Keep your shoulders lowered, and slowly rotate your neck from right to the back, then to the left, and finally towards the front.
The rotation have to be done both, clockwise and anticlockwise. However, it is important that you have controlled motions. At the same time, it is best to do it by keeping your eyes closed, else there are chances of you feeling woozy.

# 4

To do this, stand straight and place your hands on either side of the body. It is best if your elbows are bent. Now, slowly bring both the shoulder blades closer to one another, and roll the shoulders forward 10 to 15 times.
Then, repeat the same action and rotate the shoulders backwards 10 to 15 times as well. It is important that you have controlled movements when you do this as well.

# 5

Sit erect on a chair. Now, extend both the hands in front of you. Using your right hand, hold the wrist of the other hand, and try to pull the arm as well as the shoulder above the head towards the right side. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds.
Slowly, come back to the starting position, and repeat the same on the other side as well. Repeat this 5 to 7 times twice or thrice daily.
These exercises should be practiced under the supervision of your health care professional only. The health care professional will be in a better place and give you the right movements for your condition.
When you are doing them for the first few times, make sure you do not push yourself too much, as it can cause injury. Increase the number of counts gradually, and not all of a sudden.
Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.