With cold weather creeping in and some of us, including your Chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA Area, are reluctant to turn on the heat and lots of people are waking up with “Stiff Necks”.  This can usually be the cause of tight neck posture muscles from a cold bedroom.  Keeping your neck stretched and relaxed will help prevent neck stiffness… and keep it warm.

The muscle runs from the top medial part of your shoulder blade up in to your neck.  So the way to stretch it is to separate those two structures.  You can do the stretch standing or sitting.

1. Lengthen the muscle by raising the elbow above the shoulder on the side to stretch.
2. In this position, first rest the elbow against a door jamb. This rotates the outside of shoulder blade up and the inside of it down, which lengthens the levator scapula muscle.
3. Second, turn the head away from the side that is stretching and bring the chin down, stretching the back of the neck .
4. Third, place the fingers of the other hand on the top of the head and gently pull the head forward increasing the stretch slightly.

Hold this for about 30 seconds to a minute.

If this helps great you got some relief before going to your chiropractor.  If they didn’t call for an appointment because it won’t usually improve on its own.

Doroski Chiropractic Neurology

3122 Golansky Blvd, Ste 102

Woodbridge VA 22192

703 730 9588

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