Embody Change Structural Integration

 

Newsletter - November 2009

Waking up with a pain in the neck

Most of us have experienced waking up with a "crick in the neck" at one time or another. This can be the result of sleeping on an unfamiliar pillow or with your neck at a strange angle, causing the neck vertebrae to settle into a position that creates a slight pinching of one of the nerves. This pinching means the nerve isn't able to glide well in and out of the spinal column, which triggers some of the neck muscles to tighten up and restrict rotation. Often this restriction eases and your normal range of motion will return over the course of the morning. When it doesn’t, some of us seek help from a chiropractor, but there are a few simple stretches you can do for yourself right after waking up that may give you relief.


Morning neck stretches

The first thing to do is resist the urge to stretch in a way that causes immediate pain. Gently increase the space between your neck joints, sitting up tall on the edge of your bed, with your feet on the floor and your hands resting in your lap. Imagine that you are a marionette puppet and there is a golden string attached to the top of your head, lifting it up toward the ceiling. See if you can imagine a little extra space in between your vertebral joints as your head floats up and you breathe in fully. Next, as you exhale, slowly turn your head to the right, pausing at the first point of restriction. Breathe in as you return to center, and exhale again as you turn to the left. Following your breath like this will encourage you to move slowly, minimizing discomfort. The idea is to release the restriction gradually, in small increments. You can note how close your chin moves toward your shoulder, and which side feels most restricted (“Yep, that’s where it is”), but explore gently. You can repeat this a few times to each side before you move on to the next stretch, but you will get more immediate results from this sequence if you can avoid exacerbating the pinched feeling during the process.


The next step is to explore side-bending. Breathing in and floating your head up toward the ceiling, imagine another string is attached to the top of your right ear, then breathing out, just tip just your head gently over to the left side, keeping as much space in your neck joints as possible, Go only as far as you can go without increasing pain. You may “say hello” to the edge of your pain or resistance, but don’t force your way into it. Float your head up to the ceiling again like a balloon, feeling yourself sitting tall, and then repeat on the other side. With an imaginary string attached to your left ear, tip slightly to the right as you exhale, lingering for a few seconds before floating upright.


The third stretch builds upon the side-bending by gradually introducing a bit of rotation. On an exhale, tip over toward the left side again, perhaps allowing a little more side-bending, but keeping long through the spine and neck. Then begin rotating your head to the right, so that you can look out of the corner of your eye up at the ceiling. Stay there for just a few seconds, and then begin to untwist, letting your chin drop slowly until it is pointing toward your left armpit and you are looking down toward your left hip. Again you are just greeting the edge of your limitation, not trying to get a big stretch. After a few seconds, allow your neck and head to roll forward, chin hanging gently toward the chest, and then roll up to your starting position, head floating above your spine. Take a full breath in and out.


So that you can try this stretch on the right side, I’ll run through it again with abbreviated instructions. With your head floating up, keep long through the neck, but tip gently to right side, shoulders relaxed. Then rotate to the left until you are looking up out of the corner of your eye at the ceiling, breathing. Slowly untwist, while maintaining the gentle side-bend, until your chin is pointing toward your right armpit and you are looking past your right hip. Hang there for a few seconds, still feeling as much space as you can between all your neck vertebrae. Then let your head roll forward, chin to chest, and unfurl your neck like a fiddlehead fern, each vertebra stacking up on top of the next, until you are back in your starting position.


Keep in mind that with a real pinched neck, it may be helpful to do this sequence more than once, perhaps trying it both before and after a hot shower. It will probably feel helpful just about any morning, but you might also try it at the very beginning of your yoga routine, before you begin doing sun salutations. When I do this neck-stretch sequence at the beginning of yoga class, I have found that my neck and shoulders are much more open in my “downward dog” and “cobra” asanas.


It is possible to read these directions to your self while attempting this neck-stretch sequence, but I suggest you find a partner and take turns reading it aloud to one another.  By helping each other you can retain better the feeling of the stretches, storing them in your kinesthetic memory. Try adding this sequence to your repertoire of self-care practices now, while you have the instructions handy. That way you’ll know what to try the next time you wake up with a stiff neck!


Call if you have any questions, or you can schedule a neck session with me so that I can help release the restriction with some neurofascial techniques.



© Kirstin Schumaker 2009