5 Exercises for Neck & Upper Back Pain Relief

Do you always feel tight, sore or tense in the neck, upper back and shoulders? 

Does stretching feel good during the stretch only for the same aches to return shortly after the stretch?  

You may be able to fix this with just a couple exercises for a few minutes a day. 

Constant pain or tension in the shoulders and neck is not normal - but it's pretty common - and the truth is,  you don’t need to stretch it - it's likely already too stretched out. 

We are going to discuss why you are always sore in the neck and upper back and give you 5 simple exercises that you can do to start feeling relief almost immediately. 

Why Does My Back Hurt

Trauma and Injury Vs. Poor Posture. If you don’t recall any particular injury or incident that triggered this pain, there is a good chance it is from poor posture and abnormal biomechanics.

 Consider this:

Do you catch yourself slouching, with your neck straining towards a screen, low back slumped forward and shoulders rounded? 

This slouched position puts the muscles of your back and neck in a constant stretch - which over time causes pain and weakness. 

So let's forget about the temporary relief that a stretch provides and consider the long term benefits of strengthening your back. Consider this a guide to building your own back brace - out of your own muscles - to bring with you everywhere you go. 

The Good News and The Bad News

The Bad News: This will never correct itself, in fact, it may get worse as you age.

The Good News: It's easier to fix than you may think, so let's get started:

Step 1

1. Arch your lower back and push your chest forward
2. Draw your shoulder blades together so that your arms are perfectly at your sides
3. Lift your head slightly so that you are looking straight ahead. 

This may feel strange at first, but with a few simple exercises, this can become your new normal. 

There are two things to remember before you get started:

1. If you are feeling sharp pains, headaches, numbness, dizziness or anything else that makes you feel like there's more than a little muscle tension going on, get a proper evaluation by a specialist - rehab exercises can be the perfect fix, but they take time, and the last thing you want to do is invest your time with the wrong plan for your particular problem. 

2. These are not bulking/muscle growth exercises. These are brain-body exercises. You are retraining your muscle memory for better posture.

So take it light and easy, focus more on the movements than the weight and reps.  Enjoy the therapeutic benefits, you may feel better after your first workout. These exercises primarily focus on the muscles of the mid and upper back.These often neglected muscles are the foundation of good posture and often the cause of most upper back pain. 

Exercise #1 Wall angels 

Maybe the simplest yet most effective exercise for neck and upper back tension. 

1. Stand or sit flat against a wall with your arms at your side
2. Raise your arms up and down similar to a snow angel motion. 

Focus on two things

1. The backs of your hands should remain in contact with the wall from start to finish. 
2. Your shoulder blades should come together with your arms at your side and rotate away from each other as your arms elevate above your head. 

 

Exercise #2 Reverse Fly

1. With a light resistance draw your shoulder blades together either standing upright with resistance bands or bent over with a very light set of dumbbells.

*Tip* Imagine yourself using only the muscles on each side of your spine to draw the shoulder blades together. 

 

Exercise #3 Neck Extensions

Targeting the muscles from the base of the neck to the base of the skull - you know the ones that you torture every time your chin is in your chest while scrolling?

1. Start with very light resistance - either a resistance band or your own hands - while looking straight ahead, slowly look up to the ceiling against resistance. (Imagine nodding yes)

 

Exercise #4 Rows 

Again, focusing on the muscles between your shoulder blades,

1. keep your elbows tight to the body and pull your resistance band or weights towards your body. 

*tip* this is a back exercise, if you feel the muscles of the arms are doing all the work then you are using too much weight. 

 

Exercise #5 Lat Pull Downs

This can be done with a machine, resistance bands, or if you are more advanced in your fitness - a wide grip pull-up. 

1. Starting with your arms above your head, draw your shoulder blades together.

Focus on using the muscles of your back, not your biceps to perform this correctly. 

 

Time to Get Started

This entire routine can be completed in 15-20 minutes.

Before you start it is important to remember - these exercises are for stiffness from sitting - if you are experiencing any pain, nerve problems or injuries it is important to be evaluated by a medical professional before starting any type of exercise program. 

While exercising sore muscles may seem counterintuitive consider this:

Human anatomy has evolved over tens of thousands of years to function and move correctly. The 9 to 5 grind of desk work, texting, commuting and constantly slouching is relatively new. 

If you train your body to move the way it was meant to move, your pains will resolve themselves.