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levator scapulae and trapezius stretch
As the kids headed back to school in early September, many of us returned to our regular work routines. For some, returning to our familiar work routine means commuting by car, bus, or plane. Airplane travel in particular can create some very uncomfortable spines. The most commonly irritated area we see in our office from airplane travel is the upper shoulders and neck. There are some very interesting muscles in the neck that start in the upper shoulders and attach to the base of the skull. When tight and tender, these muscles can create neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, nausea and even numbness and/or pain in the arm. The best practice to avoid these tight muscles is to be preventative with some simple stretches.
The two muscles easiest stretched while traveling is the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles.
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The levator scapulae stretch while standing.
Stand tall, grasp wrist of side to be stretched behind the back and bring across body to the opposite side.
Turn the head away from the side being stretched and let the head hang forward to feel a stretch in the side and back of the neck. |
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The trapezius stretch while seated.
Sitting tall, grasp the back edge of a chair with the hand of the side of the neck to be stretched.
Turn the head toward the side same side and lean head and body away to feel a stretch in the side of the neck. |
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