Treating Neck Arthritis With Strength: The Best At-Home Exercises
The primary cause of neck ostearthritis is too much impact on your joints over too long a period of time. Which is why the best treatments for neck pain and arthrtis look for ways to limit impact on your neck joints. We've already discussed how improving posture and increasing mobility in the mid-back can help limit impact on your spine. Building strength in your back muscles is a key to successfully treating neck arthritis.
The Best Strength Exercises For Treating Neck Arthritis
Muscle imbalances are one of the more common causes of joint pain and arthritis. For neck and shoulder pain, being tighter and stronger in the front (pecs) is coupled with weakness in the muscles in the back. Strengthening your back is the best thing you can do to limit on your joints and treat neck arthritis. Here are some of my favorite exercises to strengthen your back, starting with the easiest.
Wall Angels
An easy introductory exercise that engages the smaller, stabilizer muscles of your back. If unable to get head, back, and hips on the wall you should include some mid back mobility exercises.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_guTefPWAUc
Banded Y's And T's
Still targeting smaller muscles of the back, the Banded Y and T exercise can be introduced early into your strength plan. This move is effective even without the bands.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzARk9wm7JU
Banded Row's
The best movement to build strength in the back are rows. The Banded Row is a great entry level exercise to start building strength in your back muscles.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK47X-Re9EU
Facepull's
The Facepull targets the areas right at the base of the neck and is one of my favorites for treating neck arthritis.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzpYxin3pr8
Banded Pull Down
The latissimus dorsi is another important back muscle that can help treat neck arthritis. The Banded Pull Down is an entry level strength exercise that targets your lats.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os8ysFwDrtU
Rear Delt Fly
The Deltoids are the large 'ball' muscle on the top of your shoulder. This movements targets the posterior section of this muscle to help restore balance. This move can be performed with bands or a weight.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TS775tZvKQ
Single Arm Dumbell Row
This row variation is one of the best for building strength in your back muscles. Using dumbells (or kettlebells) allows you to add heavier weights for even more gains.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYFjVJqMmM8
Birddog Rows
A fun twist on the single arm dumbell row. Birddog rows engage both your core and posture muscles while strengthening your back,.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAoZ0n5Guy8Limiting impact on your spine is the key to successfully treating neck arthritis. Incorporate these strength exercises into your daily routine to limit impact on your neck and ease neck pain and stiffness.For the last 10 years I’ve been working with adults to help solve chronic neck pain, keep active, and maintain their lifestyle as they get older. To get started building the strength to solve chronic joint pain, be sure to download my free guide ‘Solving Pain With Strength’ below.