Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSit-ups and CrunchesMilitary PressBridgesLat Pull-DownsAdditional Treatment Options for Arthritis in the Neck
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sit-ups and Crunches
Military Press
Bridges
Lat Pull-Downs
Additional Treatment Options for Arthritis in the Neck
Neck arthritis, orcervical spondylosis, can occur over time from aging or injury, causing cartilage breakdown between the vertebrae. Symptoms may includegrinding or popping in the neck, headaches, and in severe cases, cervicalradiculopathy.
This article will discuss which exercises to avoid if you have neck arthritis and which exercise alternatives to try instead.
4 Exercises to Avoid if You Have Neck Arthritis
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Both sit-ups and crunches can be problematic for people with neck arthritis because each exercise can put excess strain on the neck.
Although it helps to cross the arms over the chest instead, this position, too, can strain the neck. Without the support of your hands behind your head, the neck muscles have to work harder to lift the head from the floor.
Thus, if your goal is to strengthen your abdominals without straining your neck, it’s best to avoid sit-ups or crunches.
Causes of Neck Pain and Treatment Options
Exercise Alternative: Reverse Crunch
The reverse crunch is an alternative exercise to activate the rectus abdominis muscle without placing extra strain on the neck.
A reverse crunch accomplishes the same motion of spinal flexion, or forward bending, and activation of the rectus abdominis muscles. However, the motion occurs from the bottom up rather than from the top down, avoiding strain on the neck.
To perform a reverse crunch:
8 Exercises for Cervical Radiculopathy
The military press, or overhead press, involves pushing a weighted barbell overhead from shoulder height.
Overhead pressing movements like this can be problematic for people with neck arthritis because extension of the head backward is often needed in order to clear the weight past the shoulders and up overhead. Without moving the head and neck back, your face or chin will hit the weight with movement of the barbell straight up.
Whether using a barbell or dumbbells, the added load of pushing weight above the head also places extra strain on the neck and surrounding muscles. This is especially stressful on the upper trapezius, which is forced to stabilize the neck under increased pressure.
Exercise Alternative: Front Shoulder Raise
An alternative exercise to strengthen the shoulders and increase activation of the anterior deltoid muscle that decreases strain on the neck is the front shoulder raise.
To perform a front shoulder raise:
Your elbows should stay extended the entire time while performing this exercise.
Exercise Alternative: Prone Hip Extension
An alternative exercise to activate the glute muscles that places less strain on the neck is prone hip extension.
To perform a prone hip extension:
Lat pull-downs are one of the main exercises to strengthen thelatissimus dorsimuscle, the largest muscle of the back that extends across the shoulders behind the body.
Like the military press, lat pull-downs can be problematic for people with neck arthritis. This move requires you to extend your head and neck backward to allow a path for the bar to travel up and down in front of your body.
Lat pull-downs should never be performed behind the head. Pulling the bar behind your head increases neck flexion, straining the neck as well as the shoulder joints.
Exercise Alternative: Lat Pull-Downs with Bands or Cables
To avoid straining your neck with a lat pull-down, this exercise can be performed with a resistance band anchored at a high point or with individual cable column attachments held in each hand.
By using a band or individual cables, you can train your latissimus dorsi muscle without straining your neck forward or backward to accommodate a bar.
To perform a lat pull-down with a band:
10 Neck Stretches and Exercises for Pain, Posture, and Better Sleep
The right exercises done properly can be extremely beneficial for your neck. They are an important part of the puzzle for managing arthritic neck pain, but they’re not the only ones.
Other treatment options for arthritis in the neck to consider include:
These non-invasive treatment options can either be used alone or jointly.
How Should I Sleep With Arthritis in My Neck?Avoid sleeping on your stomach, which forces you to twist your neck in order to breathe. Instead, sleep on your back or on your side, keeping your head, neck, and spine in a straight line. Choose a rounder pillow that conforms to the contour of your head and neck and keeps them aligned with your spine.
How Should I Sleep With Arthritis in My Neck?
Avoid sleeping on your stomach, which forces you to twist your neck in order to breathe. Instead, sleep on your back or on your side, keeping your head, neck, and spine in a straight line. Choose a rounder pillow that conforms to the contour of your head and neck and keeps them aligned with your spine.
Summary
Stretching the muscles of the neck and performing strengthening exercises to provide support and stability can help relieve arthritis pain. Not all exercises are created equal, though. Some can actually cause more harm than good due to the increased strain they place on the cervical spine and surrounding muscles.
If you continue to experience ongoing pain from neck arthritis or if it gets worse with certain exercises, reach out to a physical therapist. A therapist can help correct your posture and form with specific exercises. They can also tell you which exercises to avoid to prevent neck pain.
An Overview of Physical Therapy
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cervical spondylosis.Xu X, Wang Y, Yang C, et al.Evaluation of rehabilitation effect of five-step exercises on patients with radiculopathy of cervical vertebra.Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jun;99(26):e20846. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000020846Moore D, Semciw AI, Pizzari T.A systematic review and meta-analysis of common therapeutic exercises that generate highest muscle activity in the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus segments.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020 Dec;15(6):856-881. doi:10.26603/ijspt20200856Cedars Sinai.Arthritis of the neck.Harvard Health Publishing.Say “good night” to neck pain.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cervical spondylosis.Xu X, Wang Y, Yang C, et al.Evaluation of rehabilitation effect of five-step exercises on patients with radiculopathy of cervical vertebra.Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jun;99(26):e20846. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000020846Moore D, Semciw AI, Pizzari T.A systematic review and meta-analysis of common therapeutic exercises that generate highest muscle activity in the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus segments.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020 Dec;15(6):856-881. doi:10.26603/ijspt20200856Cedars Sinai.Arthritis of the neck.Harvard Health Publishing.Say “good night” to neck pain.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cervical spondylosis.Xu X, Wang Y, Yang C, et al.Evaluation of rehabilitation effect of five-step exercises on patients with radiculopathy of cervical vertebra.Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jun;99(26):e20846. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000020846Moore D, Semciw AI, Pizzari T.A systematic review and meta-analysis of common therapeutic exercises that generate highest muscle activity in the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus segments.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020 Dec;15(6):856-881. doi:10.26603/ijspt20200856Cedars Sinai.Arthritis of the neck.Harvard Health Publishing.Say “good night” to neck pain.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cervical spondylosis.
Xu X, Wang Y, Yang C, et al.Evaluation of rehabilitation effect of five-step exercises on patients with radiculopathy of cervical vertebra.Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jun;99(26):e20846. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000020846
Moore D, Semciw AI, Pizzari T.A systematic review and meta-analysis of common therapeutic exercises that generate highest muscle activity in the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus segments.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020 Dec;15(6):856-881. doi:10.26603/ijspt20200856
Cedars Sinai.Arthritis of the neck.
Harvard Health Publishing.Say “good night” to neck pain.
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