EN 
NL 3 Exercises for neck pain at home
The trapezius muscle is a large muscle that consists of three parts and has an important function over the neck/shoulder area. We usually see pain around the neck due to prolonged same posture or stress. This is often due to a shortening of this muscle. To pains and sometimes headache symptoms caused by a shortening of this muscle, it can sometimes help to lengthen the muscle with a stretching exercise. With a stretching exercise, it is important to hold the position in which the muscle is stretched for at least 30 seconds and repeat this several times in a row. In addition, this exercise may be performed several times in a day.
You perform the exercise as follows. Note how you perform the exercise depends on which side you want to stretch.
1. Stretching the left side
You sit down on a chair on bench. Then you put your left hand under your buttock, so you sit on your left hand. Now you start moving your head, move your right ear to your right shoulder. Then with your right hand, grab your head where your right hand will be on your left ear. Chances are you will feel some stretching at this point. To create more stretch, pull your head even more towards your right shoulder with your right hand. To reinforce the exercise a little more, in addition to moving your right ear towards your right shoulder, you could also turn your nose towards your right shoulder. When adopting this position, you should feel stretching on the left side. It is important to hold the exercise for at least 30 seconds. Then slowly move back and perform the exercise 5 more times if necessary.
2. Double chin make deep located neck muscles
This exercise allows you to train your deeper neck muscles. It is a very simple little exercise but proper execution is very important. You can perform this exercise sitting or standing. What you will be doing, so to speak, is creating a double chin. The biggest effect comes from moving the high structures. Moving has a pain inhibiting effect.
Perform the exercise as follows:
You look ahead. Now you are going to bring your chin towards you. The idea is not to move your chin towards your chest. So it is important that you keep looking forward throughout the exercise. Therefore, if you suddenly look down while performing the exercise then you know you are not doing the exercise properly. To see if you are actually making a double chin you can use a mirror. To start, you are going to hold the exercise for 10 x 10 seconds. So you make a double chin, hold this for 10 seconds and then relax for a moment. Then do this another 9x. If this is too easy for you, you can do the exercise more often or possibly hold the double chin for longer.
3. Turning the shoulders/lifting the shoulders
Stand or sit upright on a chair. Rotate your shoulders in big circles while keeping your arms resting along your body. Do this both forwards and backwards. Then, while the arms are still in the resting position, raise the shoulders and lower them all the way down again. Repeat both exercises 10 times.
