Jakob | Move or Die

After I had a more or less severe trauma to my neck from a jab or a hook or whatever I didn't see coming, I suffered from a constant tightness in my upper back, pain in my neck and even tension headaches. Here I share the exercises that helped me get rid of it. What I also did was: - Proper Hydration Protocol - Starting sleeping without a pillow - Sitting in silence for 10-20 minutes daily

Myo Fascial Release First, I built a MFR Routine for myself. Releasing the: - Rhomboid - Trapecius - Suboccipital Area (Headache Relief) Use a Tennis or Lacrosse Ball. Stay on the tight and painful spots for 3-5 minutes. Don't roll --> Stay. Pain shouldn't go above 5-6 on a scale of 10. Don't hold your breath, hydrate properly afterwards. Always do both sides. Can be done daily.

I. Rhomboid Seek the area between your spine and your shoulder blade. You can either lie down on the ball or you can stand against a wall with the ball in between.

II. Upper Trapezius I did this for further tension relief of my neck and shoulders. Use a doorframe or a corner. Push against the ball without building too much tension.

III. Suboccipital To take away further tension from the base of my skull, I also worked on releasing this area. Be careful, start with a tennis ball and don't go too hard in the beginning. DON'T go on the spine.

After some days of releasing, I added some opening stretches for the upper back area.

IV. Rhomboid Opener - Lvl. 1. Use something you can hold on to. Cross your arms. Fingers pointing downwards. Now really lean into your upper back. Stay there as long as you can. Repeat as needed.

IV. Rhomboid Opener - Lvl. 2 When Lvl. 1 offers not much of a relief, use this. The only thing you change is that you put your arms above your shoulder-height. You also can come closer with your feet to the poll. Stay there as long as you can. Repeat as needed.

Further on I combined that with some mobilisation of my T-Spine.

V. Sitting T-Spine Opener Put your folded hands under your chin to lock your neck area. Softly push forward from your chest area, opening the middle section of your spine. Do 50-100 Reps.

VI. Backbends into Wall Stand away from the wall at foot-length Now arch back by lengthening the spine through the highest part of your head (crown) Seek contact to the wall, look for that good well distributed arch.

Lastly, I started strengthening the area.

VII. Active Arch Hold From a Dead Hang. Pull yourself up through the T-Spine. Arms stay locked at the elbows. Pull your shoulder blades to the spine. Hold for 15-30 Seconds / 3-5 Sets / Rest as needed

I hope this does some good for you. Let me know in the comments. MoD - Jakob