Neck pain exercises

Most neck pain is what clinicians call non-specific, which sounds vague but is good news: it means the joints and muscles of the neck have become stiff, sensitised and a little deconditioned, with no damage to find. The neck carries the head all day on a stack of small joints and fine muscles, and it is very responsive to how you sleep, sit and feel.

It usually builds after a run of long spells in one position, a stressful patch, an awkward sleeping position or a period of poor sleep generally. Scans of painful necks and pain-free necks look remarkably similar from the thirties onwards, so wear-and-tear findings on a report rarely explain the pain or change the plan.

The typical picture is a stiff, sore neck that catches in certain directions - checking a blind spot is the classic - sometimes with a headache at the base of the skull, or an ache spreading into the shoulder blade or the top of the arm. It is often worse at the end of a working day and eases with movement, warmth and a change of position.

It is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and most episodes settle substantially within two to six weeks. Movement is the main treatment: necks tend to stiffen and stay sore when they are protected. This programme restores comfortable range first, then builds the endurance of the deep neck and shoulder-blade muscles so the neck copes better with a normal working day, with practical habit changes along the way.

Who this programme is for

Adults with neck stiffness and pain, with or without a mild headache or referral into the shoulder blade, that is not the result of a significant accident. Seek assessment first if the pain followed a car crash or a heavy fall, or if you have arm weakness.