5 MDT Exercises For The Cervical Spine

 

As usual, all of your magic hands hocus pocus means nothing if the patient cannot keep the improvements between visits. Here are 5 ways to self-treat the cervical spine.

Start

 

Don’t think double chin, think triple chin!

 

1) The Good Ole Chin Tuck

• for central or bilateral complaints
  • headaches into the frontal cranium
  • bilateral neck pain radiating into upper traps
• end range is sternal elevation
• last year a little old lady asked me if this exercise would make her double chin worse
• I said, “I don’t know, but at least it helps your headaches and neck pain.”
• I saw her just this past summer for a completely different condition, the first thing she showed me was the lack of a double chin, she was so happy the chin tucks tightened everything up!

Start

 

Cervical neutral, “yes sir!”

 

Unilateral nod variation for right-sided HA or upper cervical pain

 

2) The Good Ole Chin Tuck Part 2

• For those who do not tolerate cervical retraction, possibly due to tighter upper cervical spine
• this works a bit better for headaches than retractions
• a variation for unilateral headaches is the same light nod with neutral cervical spine with a slight 5-10 deg rotation to the ipsilateral side of involvement

starting position, the retracting dead

 

rotation with self-overpressure to end range, rotate toward the pain

 

3) Cervical Retraction With Rotation

• If the above unilateral nod variation does not work with upper cervical pain or unilateral HA, try this
• make sure to rotate but keep the contralateral shoulder from moving anteriorly too early
• this works very well to restore lost rotation or keep it after your manual techniques

 

stock starting photo… “brains….”

 

end range overpressure to the painful/limited side, welcome to the gun show

 

4) Cervical Retraction With Side Bending Overpressure

• it’s the too simple to work for many upper quarter problems self-treatment!
• as always, end range is key here, remember to slack the contralateral upper trap if needed by passively elevating the scapula
• try for any hand, forearm, elbow, shoulder, scapula, thoracic pain that is unilateral and not responding to traditional treatments
• better yet, try this first for any of the above to rule out cervical involvement

start, triple chin!

 

finish, forehead parallel to the ceiling

 

5) Cervical Retraction With Extension

• a progression for improvement or plateau for central or bilateral complaints
• I do not give this one out too often in lieu of self-generated overpressure into cervical retraction
• this may also work for symptoms that are radiating to mid thoracic spine or scapula
• make sure they get to end range, which is normally the forehead parallel to the ceiling
• also check out this clinical pearl on this very technique

 

 

from Beauty Salon, Spa, Massage https://themtdc.com/5-mdt-exercises-for-the-cervical-spine/