Neck Pain and Cervical Spondylosis Exercises

• Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed.
• Move slowly to a comfortable stretch. Do not bounce or force the movement.
• Do 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise, two or three times a day.
• A mild stretch is fine. Stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, or pain or tingling into the arm.
• If your neck pain started after an injury or comes with dizziness, get assessed before you start.

1. Chin tuck

Sit tall and look straight ahead. Gently draw your chin straight back, as if making a double chin, without tipping your head down. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat 5 to 10 times. This is often the most useful exercise for desk and phone posture.

2. Neck rotation

Slowly turn your head to look over one shoulder as far as is comfortable. Hold for 5 seconds, return to the middle, then turn to the other side. Repeat 5 times each way.

3. Side bend

Keep your shoulders down and gently tilt your ear towards your shoulder. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then change sides. Repeat 3 to 5 times each side.

4. Shoulder rolls and shoulder blade squeeze

Roll your shoulders slowly backwards 10 times. Then squeeze your shoulder blades gently together and down, hold for 5 seconds and relax. Repeat 10 times.

5. Chest stretch in a doorway

Place your forearms on either side of a door frame at shoulder height and step one foot forward until you feel a gentle stretch across the front of the chest. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This helps if you sit rounded at a desk.

• Keep your screen at eye level and about an arm's length away. Raise a laptop and use a separate keyboard if you work on it for long.
• Hold your phone closer to eye level instead of bending your neck down to it.
• Take a short break every 30 to 45 minutes to move your neck and shoulders.
• Use one supportive pillow that keeps your neck level with your body. Sleeping on your front often strains the neck.
• Carry bags on both shoulders, or switch sides often.

The same gentle movement and strengthening exercises are used for cervical spondylosis. The aim is to keep the neck moving and the muscles that support it strong. It is not to reverse the changes seen on an X-ray, which are common and do not always cause pain. Neck pain that comes with arm pain or tingling may mean a nerve is irritated. An assessment helps decide which movements suit you and which to avoid. Our cervical spondylosis page explains how it is assessed and treated.

• Neck pain that lasts more than a few weeks or keeps coming back.
• Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading into the arm or hand.
• Headaches that seem to start from the neck.
• Stiffness that makes driving, riding or work difficult.

• Clumsy or weak hands, unsteady walking, or any change in bladder or bowel control.
• Neck pain after a fall, accident or sports injury.
• Neck pain with fever, unexplained weight loss or a history of cancer.
• A sudden severe headache, double vision, trouble speaking or a drooping face: go to the nearest hospital emergency department at once or call 112.