E-Book and guide

Postural Exercises
General instructions

With these postural exercises, the key is what you do all day. Start slowly, doing them a
few times per day and then see how you feel the next day.

As you start to feel better, then increase the frequency of these movements. Use these
exercises not as something to do a few times and then forget about it, but to retrain
how you stand and sit.
Chin Tuck Exercise
 This can be done sitting or standing.
 Make a fist with your index finger
pointed.
 Lay your forearm vertically on your
chest and your pointed index finger
on your chin.
 Draw your head back away from
your finger, tucking your chin and
keeping your neck elongated. This
movement is called retraction.
 Retract your head, hold for four or
five seconds, and then relax. Arm and hand position

Make sure you don't tense your shoulder blades while you are
doing this. Repeat this about four or five times.

Do it a few times throughout the day, starting slowly until you get
used to it.

Starting position Ending position

 Head on a String Exercise
This is a simple yet amazingly effective postural exercise. It
involves elongating the spine and creates relaxation through the
muscles.

All that is involved is sitting or standing as tall as possible, like

someone was pulling your head up by a piece of string, like a
puppet. You should not feel any tension or strain when doing this
exercise.

This can be done seated or standing. This is a great exercise to

teach to school age children. It is so simple and they spend a lot of
time at their desk.
 Brugger relief position
One of the most common causes of ache and neck trouble is the sitting posture. When
you slump, your body rounds forward, straining the joints, ligaments and discs of your
spine. This posture also affects your breathing by compressing your diaphragm and
encouraging excessive breathing from the shoulder and neck areas. The Brugger
exercise will only take a few minutes a day and will improve your overall postural
appearance within just a few weeks of practice.

STARTING POSITION

 Perch at the very edge of a chair.

 Place your feet under your knees, and spread your
legs so that they are further apart then your hips.
 Turn your feet out slightly.
 Roll your pelvis slightly forward so your back
begins to arch.
 Tuck your chin in slightly and make sure your
shoulders are relaxed.
 Hang your arms by your side, hands relaxed.

EXERCISE

 Breathe into your abdomen and push your chest forward and up. You should feel
a stretch in your mid-back.
 Breathe out, turn your palms outward and spread your fingers. You should feel a
contraction of your muscles between your shoulder blades.
 Relax and return to the starting position.

REPEAT 3-4 breaths when you notice discomfort or just need a break.

This can also be done standing, in

conjunction with the 20/20 rule.
(If you don’t know what the 20/20 rule is, download the free tips and techniques
E-book from www.neckworks.net)
 Relax and Stretch
Exercises
• Gently contract the muscle to about 30 or 40 per cent
of its maximum contraction
• Hold that position for about 6 seconds while holding
your breath
• Then relaxing, exhale and let the stretch deepen
gently within the first 3 seconds.
• If stretch not done within 5 seconds, it becomes
ineffective
• Repeated 3 to 5 times on each side
• Can be done up to 5 times per day.
 Side bend
 One hand grasps the underside of the chair
 Opposite hand is placed across the head, with the fingers
around about the level of the ear
 Head is then flexed to the side
 Tension is created by leaning the body, you should feel
tension in your trapezius muscle
 Hold for 6 seconds, then straighten your body up and exhale,
 Relax the muscles of your neck and let the weight of the
hand guide it down, do not pull neck down.
 This should be done on both sides.
 You should feel this in the trapezius muscles

Grasp chair and place hand across head Side bend neck

Lean body to create tension Straighten up and let neck stretch deepen
Side bend with rotation
 Hand grasps the back of the skull
 Other hand grasps the underside of the chair
 Tension is bringing shoulder up, not bringing head to shoulder
 Do not pull neck down, relax muscles of neck and let the weight of the
hand guide it down
 This should be done on both sides.
 You should feel this in the trapezius and sub occipital muscles

First bend your neck to the side Then turn your head to the same side

Lean your body to add tension Straighten your body and let the stretch deepen
 Rotation
 Turn head to one side, looking over your shoulder
 Opposite hand is placed flat on the cheek bone and temple
 Turn your head into hand gently and hold for 6 seconds while
holding your breath
 The pressure of your hand on your face should be as gentle as
touching a piece of fruit to check if it's ripe, or patting a baby on the
back. If the pressure is too hard, it can cause more harm than good.
 Then relax, exhale, and push your neck a little way further
 This should be done on both sides.

Rotate your head Place hand on your cheek

Rotate your head into your hand Relax and take your neck a little further
 Sub-Occipitals
Release
 Lock your fingers behind the back of your head
 Tuck your chin in and push your head back into your hands,
just like the chin tuck exercise
 Hold for 6 seconds while holding your breath
 Then exhale and relax
 With this exercise, you don't need to stretch, just relax
 You should feel this in the base of the skull

Interlock your fingers behind the back of your head Push your head back into your hands
Rolled towel exercise
 This is a similar exercise to the sub-occipital release, and should be done at home
at the end of the day.
 This exercise will also help to restore the normal neck c curve, if it is lost.
 First, roll up a towel so it is about the thickness of your forearm
 Lie down on your back with your knees bent. Make sure the surface is firm but
comfortable, like carpet or a yoga mat. Don’t do this on a soft bed, it will be
ineffective.
 Place the towel under the back of the neck, and relax, letting your head drop
 Gently push your neck into the towel, tucking your chin and holding your breath.
 Hold for about 6 seconds, then relax and exhale, letting your head sink.
 Repeat 3-5 times. After the last repetition, lie there and concentrate on relaxing
your neck for about 2 minutes.
 Then repeat the whole series once more.
 Pectoral muscles stretch
 Pectoral muscles become tight when sitting in a slumped
position for a long period of time.
 This exercise can be done up against a wall or in a doorway
with your elbow bent or with your arm straight.
 Turn away from the wall or doorway, using the wall to
gently brace your arm. Keep your shoulder down and back.
 Gently push your hand into the wall. You should feel this
across the front of your chest. If you don't feel it across the
front of your chest, you are not doing the stretch right.
 Relax and rotate your body to increase the stretch.
 This should be done on both sides.
 You should feel this in the front of the chest and shoulder

Brace your bent arm against a door frame Turn your body to create a stretch

Breathe out, relax, and let the stretch deepen This can also be done with a straight arm
 Joint Mobility
Joint mobility is not the same as muscle flexibility. When you are
doing these exercises you may not feel much of a stretch and that
is fine. Your joints need a different workout from your muscles.
They need quicker repetitive movements, as opposed to slow
stretches.

These exercises should be done in the morning before work,

preferably about 15 minutes after getting out of bed or after a
warm shower. You can also do these again in the evening.

The movements should be nice and controlled and done at a

moderate speed. As you are doing these, each time, start with
small movements and work your way up to the maximum joint
movement you can achieve.

Start with 10 repetitions per day and add 10 reps per week.
Eventually you should get up to about 50 repetitions per day. If
you know your joints are arthritic and damaged, it would be good
for you to work up to 200 repetitions per day, to get those joints
moving better. You don't need to do all of these exercises back to
back. You can spread them out through the day.
 Side bending
 Bring each ear down to your shoulder.
 Don't tense your shoulders up while you are doing this.
 Remember not to hold your breath.

Rotation
 Look over each shoulder.
 Remember not to tense your shoulders or hold your breath.
 Flexion and Extension
 With the flexion, you tuck your chin in first and roll your
head down.
 With the extension, you lift your chin up and lengthen your
neck.
 Remember these exercises are meant to move your joints so
imagine that each exercise is lengthening your neck.

Lift your chin and extend your neck

Tuck your chin and bring it to your chest

Make sure all the movements are

Don’t jam your neck back, try and create
controlled
length instead
 Shoulder Blades
 Keeping your arms by your side, roll your shoulder blades in
circles.
 First forward and then backwards.
 Keep your shoulders nice and loose.

Shoulder Joint
 Do not do this exercise if you have shoulder impingement
problems, rotator cuff problems or frozen shoulder. If you
have any doubts please consult your healthcare professional.
 Rotate your arms one at a time in a big circle.
 First forward and then backwards.
 You can use the other arm to stabilize your shoulder joint
 Try not to move your body
 Try and make the circles as big as possible.
 Elbows
 Interlock your fingers
 Rotate your hands as if they are going around the inside of
an imaginary bowl.
 Bring your elbows right up and stretch them right out.
 Do this in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.

Wrists
 If you have carpal tunnel syndrome or any other wrist
problems, please consult your doctor before attempting this
exercise.
 Elbows bent down by your side. Arms out in front of you.
 Making full circles with your wrists. Do this in both
clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
 Fingers
 Elbows bent, with your arms out in front of you.
 First, make clenched fists and then expand your hand with
your fingers spread as much as possible.
 Then, fingers spread, fingers together
 Then thumb rotations.
 Most people will be fine just doing the first one, open and
closed fist
Strengthening Exercises
These neck exercises will help to make the muscles of your neck
stronger.
They are focused on the small para-spinal and sub-occipital
muscles that control the small movements of your neck.

So if you don't feel like you are pushing hard enough, or your
muscles aren't fatiguing, that's a good thing. They are not
supposed to get tired, as it's more subtle than that.

Most of these exercises follow the same formula.

 You will have your neck in the neutral position, centred.

 You will push into your hand with about 70% of your
maximum force, making sure it is comfortable and you are
not straining.
 You will hold this contraction for about 6 seconds making
sure that you breathe normally
 Then gently release
 Repeat this 6 times for each movement.
 These exercises can be done standing or sitting.

If you find these exercises are making your neck feel strained,
don't do them for a few days, and try again using less pressure.
These exercises will strengthen your neck, but we want to
strengthen it slowly and gently.

Don't do these exercises when you are in acute pain.

 Side bend
 Place your hand against the side of your neck, with your
elbow pointing out.
 Try and bring your ear to your shoulder, resisting the
motion with you arm.
 Remember that your neck shouldn't move and should
remain centred.

Rotation
 Place your hand on your temple, keeping your elbow out.
 Attempt to turn your chin to your shoulder into your hand
 Flexion
 Press both your hands against your forehead, with your
elbows pointed forward.
 Attempt to bring your chin to your chest.

Extension
 Put your hands behind your head with your fingers
interlocked.
 Tuck your chin and push your head backwards.
 Scapular Tuck
This exercise is not an isometric exercise. It actually involves you moving your muscles,
even though it's just a little bit. The aim of this exercise is
to bring your scapula (shown by the blue arrows) down
towards your bottom. For the first few times, you will
need a helper to assist, to give you some feedback on how
you are working your muscles. As you get better at
working these muscles, you will be able to do it by
yourself.

Start of doing this exercise standing, although when you

get good at it, you can also do it sitting at your desk.
 Have your assistant place their hand in the middle
of your spine so the fingers are between your shoulder blades and their palm is
below it.
 Now you attempt to put your shoulder blades in your back pocket, as shown by
the white arrows
 Your shoulder blades should move down and a very little bit together.
 The tops of your shoulders should barely move at all.
 Hold this for six seconds are repeat six times.
 Your assistant should be making sure your shoulder blades go down and not
together.
 This is a very subtle movement. If you think you are not doing enough, then you
are probably doing it right!

Notice how little the shoulder blades move between the top two shots
When in neck pain, or in the first 6 weeks of starting the program

Joint mobility exercise at the start of the day, before sitting

Brugger relief position every 20 minutes, sitting or preferably standing

Head on a string exercise whenever you think about it

Relax and stretch exercises and chin tuck exercise twice a day – before lunch and at the end of the
day

Rolled towel exercise at home at night

To strengthen your neck and improve your posture – 6 to 18 weeks

Joint mobility exercise at the start of the day, before sitting

Brugger relief position every 20 minutes, sitting or preferably standing

Head on a string exercise whenever you think about it

Relax and stretch exercises and chin tuck exercise once a day – before lunch

Muscle strengthening at the end of the day

Maintenance – whenever you spend the day at the desk

Joint mobility exercise at the start of the day, before sitting

Brugger relief position every 20 minutes, sitting or preferably standing

Head on a string exercise whenever you think about it

Muscle strengthening at the end of the day, twice a week

Spending small amounts of time at the desk

Brugger relief position every 20 minutes, sitting or preferably standing

Head on a string exercise whenever you think about it

NOTE: We recognize that people will diagnose and treat themselves. We have provided this medical
information to make you more knowledgeable about nonsurgical aspects of care, the role of exercise
in your long-term recovery, and injury prevention. The information presented on this page and in
this DVD and associated E Book is useful for avoiding and reducing periodic neck muscle stiffness and
soreness associated with extended time spent at a desk/computer. In some cases exercise may be
inappropriate. Remember, if you diagnose or treat yourself, you assume the responsibility for your
actions. You should never do any exercise that causes increased pain.

The exercises, stretches, movements and techniques illustrated and/or instructed on DVD and in this
E Book/Instruction Manual and website are inherently safe, natural and for educational purposes
only. Nothing in this entire program is meant to prescribe, diagnose, treat or cure in any way. If you
have a medical condition or suspect that you may have a medical condition, consult a qualified
health care practitioner for approval before beginning this program. If you are experiencing back
pain for the first time, please see your doctor for an evaluation and a proper diagnosis. Seek medical
help when there is severe, continuous neck pain. Pain lasting a week or more will require medical
evaluation. Pain, numbness, and tingling that radiates to the arms or legs, and muscle weakness are
also indicators that medical attention is required.

Also, since I cannot be there with you, it is advised that you consult a qualified personal trainer,
physical therapist, fitness specialist or the like to properly supervise your performance of these
different exercises, stretches, movements and techniques found herein. In undertaking this
program, you assume all risk of injury that may result from failure to follow the instructions correctly
or from inappropriate use of this program. Although general soreness is accepted from doing these
exercises, stretches, movements and techniques, you should NEVER feel pain. If you feel pain at all,
STOP what you are doing and consult your health care provider. In no way shall Neckworks or its
employees and affiliates be liable for any indirect, consequential, unique or incidental damages
related to the content or any errors or omissions in the material covered throughout the entire
program. Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to
substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. You should
read all product packaging carefully. Once again, if you have or suspect that you have a medical
problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Designated trademarks and brands are the
property of Neckworks.

Don’t do the exercises if you are experiencing an episode of acute pain, after taking strong pain
killers or immediately after icing and area. If you feel that you can’t comfortably maintain the correct
posture, or are straining, stop doing the exercise. Also, stop doing the exercises if you feel a sudden
sharp pain anywhere in the back, neck or shoulders, if you feel the onset of numbness or pins and
needles in any part of your body, or if you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded.

You may feel a slight discomfort when doing some of the exercises, which is often a normal muscle
ache. If pain occurs during, or immediately after completing the exercises, and lasts more than 90
minutes, you may be trying to do too much too soon. Discontinue the program for 5 days, and then
start again. If pain persists, please see your health care practitioner. Be careful if you have high
blood pressure, suffer from dizziness, poor balance, or have a stroke or any other condition that can
affect balance or coordination. If you are concerned, do the movements sitting in a chair, and don’t
do the ones that can’t be completed from a sitting position.