Cervical Exercise: - KnowYourBack.org

Walking erectly with “neutral” head position(Figure 1): Make an effort to “walk tall”(chest up, shoulders back) and with your headpositioned in “neutral.” This means your earsare aligned directly over your shoulders whenviewed from the side. Allowing your headto fall into a forward position is a bad habitworth breakingbecause it so oftencontributes to neckpain and prolongsrecovery. It initiallyrequires an effort toconsistently drawyour head backwardbut, over time, thisneutral position willbecome your newhabit.Figure 1. Neutral headpositionSupine neutral head position (Figure 2): Thisexercise enables you to establish and maintainthe “neutral” head position with very little effort,while resting. By lying on your back withas thin a pillow as is comfortable, or ideally withno pillow, let your head fall backward so yourears move toward being aligned with your shouldersand hips as much as you comfortably can.Spending 5-10 minutes in this position, perhapsevery couplehours if necessary,often decreasesor helpseliminate neckpain and allowsyour head tomove further andfurther into thatideal alignment.Figure 2. Supine neutralhead position