Neck Rotation Stretch
oec:neck-rotation-stretch
A mobility and flexibility exercise that gently rotates the cervical spine to stretch the neck musculature and improve range of motion.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Head Turns, Cervical Rotation Stretch, Neck Turns
How to do it
Setup
- Sit upright on a chair or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed and pulled gently down and back.
- Fix your gaze straight ahead with your chin level and parallel to the floor.
Movement
- Slowly turn your head to one side, looking over your shoulder as far as comfortably possible.
- Hold the end range for the specified duration without forcing or bouncing.
- Smoothly return your head to the neutral starting position.
- Repeat the rotation to the opposite side.
Breathing
Breathe smoothly and continuously throughout, exhaling gently as you rotate into the stretch.
Cues
- Keep your shoulders down
- Rotate smoothly without tilting your chin up or down
- Stop at mild tension, never pain
Common faults
- Rotating the shoulders and torso along with the head.
- Keep your chest facing forward and isolate the rotation purely to the neck.
- Tilting the head sideways or poking the chin forward during rotation.
- Keep the chin level and the head aligned directly over the shoulders throughout the movement.
Safety
- Avoid rapid or jerky rotations; move at a slow, controlled pace.
- Cease immediately if you experience dizziness, numbness, or sharp nerve pain.
Muscles
Joints
- Cervical spine: Rotation
- Thoracic spine: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Stretch, Mobility drill, Rotation
- Modality
- Mobility, Flexibility, Rehabilitation
- Mechanics
- isolation
- Force
- static
- Laterality
- alternating
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Duration; or Repetitions
- Load
- none
Sources
- wger: Head turns (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.