autostretching0164

THE NECK 9.

Your difficulty is: Tight Muscles: Equipment: Starting Position:

Stretching:

Stimulation:

Common Errors:

Notę:

Normal mobility:

Bending backward between head and first vertebra.

Muscles that bend head forward on atlas.

Chair with firm back.

Sit firmly in to back of chair, with neck slightly bent forward. Place righ: thumb on forward edge of right transver.se process of top vertebra_ (Marked with a smali x on the skeleton drawing. See also fig. 2 on pasę 145). You can feel the spot just behind jaw, below right ear. Use left hanć to support back of head, and right hand to support forehead.

1.    Look up; press with right thumb; thrust chin out and bend head but not neck backward so that stretch is felt high up in front side of neck. Aid with left hand.

2.    Look down; draw chin back and press forehead against left hand: hok: for 5 seconds.

3.    Relax; look up; bend head but not neck backward to limit so that chin moves forward and up, assisting with slight left hand push.

4.    Repeat until you feel you can stretch no further and muscles feel tighL Hołd this finał stretch from 15 seconds to a minutę or morę.

1.    Retain right hand grip; place left hand on back of head.

2.    Look up; bend head - but not neck - backward to limit so that chin moves forward and up.

3.    Resist backward movement with left hand on back of head; relax jaw.

4.    Hołd position a few seconds.

*    Right thumb doesn’t stay in place.

*    Neck not bent far enough forward, so that exerci.se takes effect too far down.

*    Jaw not relaxed.

Repeat exercise on opposite side: left thumb stabilizing left transverse process of atlas, right hand cupped on forehead. Stretch should be feh only along front of neck. If you feel discomfort or pain in your head. throat, shoulders, arms, or any other part of your body, stop stretching immediately.

With neck ’long’, you should be able to bend your head backward a linie without moving neck.

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