Cervical Spine Exercises

Relaxation Exercises [Do these once every 20-30 minutes]

Sitting upright, gently bend your neck to the side. Repeat it on the opposite side. Do it for 10 times on either side.

Sitting upright, gently bend your neck forwards and then straighten up. Repeat this ten times.

Sitting upright, gently turn your neck to one side. Repeat it on the opposite side. Do it for 10 times on either side.

Sitting upright, gently shrug your shoulders and attempt to make circular movements in the air with your shoulders. First do this in the clockwise direction and then do in the anticlockwise direction. Repeat this ten times on both the sides simultaneously, in each of the directions, clockwise and anticlockwise.

Taking Care of Your Neck and Upper Back        

Do the above relaxation exercises while continuously sitting at the desk Avoid smoking since it interferes with the blood supply of the intervertebral disks [the “shockabsorbers” of the spine] Keep the computer at a neutral eye-level, so that you have neither to bend your neck forwards or backwards Avoid bifocal lens Avoid abnormal posture while reading/ watching television Pillow should be just about adequate to support the head [thickness=the distance between the side of the head and the shoulder] while sleeping side-ways which is the ideal posture for your spine In times of acute pain, better to avoid driving any vehicle Try to decrease factors that increase anxiety/ stress/ tension

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Strengthening Exercises _25__times; morning, afternoon, evening

Sitting upright and looking straight forwards, put one hand against the center of your forehead and press against the hand. Do not look sideways and be sure to keep the hand in the center of the forehead while doing this exercise.

__25__times; morning, afternoon, evening Sitting upright and looking straight forwards, cross your fingers behind the head in the midline and press against the hands. Do not look sideways and be sure to keep the hands in the center of the head while doing this exercise.

__25__times; morning, afternoon, evening

Sitting upright and looking straight forwards, put one hand just above the ear and press against the hand. Do not look sideways and be sure to keep the hand just above the ear while doing this exercise.

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Compiled by Dr. Yogesh K. Pithwa, Fellowship in Advanced Spine Surgery, Japan; Fellowship in

Spinal Deformity Correction, USA; FNB [Spine Surgery], MS [Ortho] Gold Medal, DNB [Ortho], MNAMS [Ortho], D. Ortho, MBBS; Consultant Spine Surgeon; the first person in India to be given official accreditation and recognition as a superspecialist spine surgeon. In recognition of his clinical services as a spine surgeon, having been involved in over 2000 successful spine surgeries, he has been included in the Marquis’s “Who’s Who in the World”, 2006 edition, published from the US Visit http://spine-surgeon.org for more information related to spinal problems. All consultations by prior appointment only, preferably by calling on the previous WORKING day between 6pm to 8pm on 09341394471/ 09880659652, or on the email at [email protected]/ [email protected]

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