Reduce Neck & Shoulder Pain with Four Exercises
Did you know that neck pain has an annual prevalence rate exceeding 30% among adults in the US? Among adults, 20% to 70% will experience neck pain that interferes with their daily activities during their lifetime (About Back/Spine, Neck, and Shoulder Pain - The Statistics, 2019).
The reported annual incidence of shoulder pain in primary care is 14.7 per 1,000 patients per year with a lifetime prevalence of up to 70% (About Back/Spine, Neck, and Shoulder Pain - The Statistics, 2019).
Neck and shoulder pain is the second most common complaint for office workers, with low back pain being number one.
A 2020 workplace intervention study discovered that daily bouts of specific resistance training of the shoulder and neck region at the workplace reduced neck and shoulder pain by 25-43% and improved quality of life by 11% (Saeterbakken et al., 2020). The good news is it only takes 10 minutes per day. The authors of the study recommend office workers to perform daily neck and shoulder resistance training to possibly prevent and/or decrease pain in the neck and shoulder area (Saeterbakken et al., 2020).
There were four specific exercises chosen for the participants of the study to perform daily. 2 sets of 12 reps for each exercise. One rest day a week (Sunday). Exercises are challenging where you are 0-2 reps shy of failure. Equipment: resistance band
Single Arm Row:
Lunge stance
Band under front foot
Hinge from hips, torso forward
Hold both ends of band
Roll shoulder back and slide shoulder blade to spine, then bending elbow
Do not use upper trap, but focus on bottom tip of shoulder blade sliding to spine
Upright Row:
Stand tall
Middle of band under feet
Hold ends of band
Pull band up leading with elbows, stopping at shoulder height
Single Arm Reverse Fly:
Hinge at hips, torso forward
Stand on band with opposite foot of working arm
Feet shoulder width apart
Pull band out to side
Keep shoulders level
Keep arm as straight as possible
Single Arm Lateral Raise
Stand tall
Stand on band with opposite foot of working arm
Lift arm out to side to shoulder height
Keep arm as straight as possible
Follow along as I guide you through the four exercises. I only guide you through one set, please complete another set immediately right after or another time during the day.
Resources:
Saeterbakken, A. H., Makrygiannis, P., Stien, N., Solstad, T. E. J., Shaw, M., Andersen, V., & Pedersen, H. (2020). Dose-response of resistance training for neck-and shoulder pain relief: A workplace intervention study. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 12(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-020-0158-0
About Back/Spine, Neck, and Shoulder Pain—The Statistics. (2019, July 29). Practical Pain Management. https://patient.practicalpainmanagement.com/conditions/low-back-pain/about-back-spine-neck-shoulder-pain-statistics
