Upper Back / Shoulder exercises

Exercises to Mobilise the Upper Back:

This exercise is designed to help patients with neck problems recent or ongoing.

This exercise can be performed sitting or standing and is designed to encourage better movement in the upper back, taking pressure off the neck by relaxing the muscles, soft tissues and joints of the upper back and shoulders.
The patient rolls to shoulders backwards both sides together in slow large circles for 30 seconds.

The same exercise is repeated rolling the shoulders forwards both sides together in slow large circles for 30 seconds

These exercises can be performed daily, repeated in the morning and evening, or just once a day or every other day and certainly after more sedentary activity and when the neck is overworked, for example DIY (looking upwards painting etc)

Swimming Arm exercises

These exercises are designed to help patients with neck problems recent or ongoing. It can be performed sitting or standing. Patients are asked to perform ‘swimming arm’ movements (not go swimming). These exercises should be performed slowly with full arm movements for 30 seconds in each direction as pictured below, using full swimming arm movements.

Breast Stroke arms Forwards (to the front)

Breast Stroke arms Up Above (to the ceiling)

Freestyle (Front Crawl)

Back Crawl

Butterfly Forwards

Butterfly Backwards

These exercises can be performed daily, repeated in the morning and evening, or just once a day or every other day and certainly after more sedentary activity and when the neck is overworked, for example DIY (looking upwards painting etc)