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How to Protect Your Neck While Exercising

| Luis Echeverry | ,
avoiding neck pain while exercising

Moved the wrong way while training and now your neck hurts? Ouch! Because the neck is a delicate region made up of complex bones and muscles, it is a hot spot for injury – especially during a workout. The good news? You can take a proactive approach to avoid neck injury. Read more from our trainers… 

How did I hurt my neck?

Before we talk about how to prevent neck injuries, let’s look at the most common causes of neck injury caused by exercise. These include:

  • Poor posture
  • High impact exercises 
  • Using poor technique 
  • Training too often
  • Poor nutrition

 

Since your neck is so susceptible to injury, working with an experienced personal trainer can help reduce your chances of injury. We’ll watch your form and make sure you’re protecting your neck and joints as you workout. Call or text us if you’ve noticed aches and pains training on your own.

 

How can I Prevent Neck Injury?

Preparing your body for exercise is just as important as having the right kind of shoes and equipment. To prevent injury, keep these tips in mind while you’re at the gym: 

 

Practice Good Technique

By far, this is one of the most important ways to prevent injury. Incorrect technique can pull a muscle or tear delicate connective tissue in an instant. Whether you are lifting weights, doing squats, working the abs, etc. always pay attention to the position of your neck and keep your head in a neutral position. 

Strive to perfect your technique and form, while always respecting the integrity of the exercise. This means no twisting, turning, or contorting when trying to make a rep. If you can’t practice good technique, adjust the weights, or take a break. 

 

Warm-Up Properly

You never want to just jump into a workout, especially one that is going to be intense. Prior to every workout, get the blood flowing with either dynamic stretches, a light jog, a quick ride on the stationary bike, or by swimming some laps in the pool. All these exercises will properly warm up the muscles and help prevent neck injury. 

 

Stretch

You probably already know this but stretching is different than warming up. Warm-ups should be dynamic and get the blood flowing, whereas stretching helps relax and elongate muscles after warm-up and then again after weight training. 

After stretching, muscles are warm, loose, and neurologically alert, making them as pliable and injury resistant as possible. Check out these stretches specific to help prevent neck pain. 

 

RICE: Rest & Ice 

Any time your neck, shoulder, or upper back are sore after a workout, apply a cold compress to the area. This will reduce pain and discomfort. If the pain continues, give your body ample time to rest and recover. Ice followed by rest is a great combo for reducing pain and preventing further neck injury. 

 

Massage

At Driven Fit, recovery and maintenance are an important part of our wellness programs. In addition to athletic stretching, we highly recommend incorporating sports or therapeutic massage at least one to four times per month to achieve maximum results.  Learn more about our massage therapy services.

 

 

Interested in learning more about the fitness and wellness programs offered at our South Tampa studio? Call or text Driven Fit + SWS  today at (813) 440-3016!

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