When it comes to running, a lot of focus is placed on how to keep your legs in shape and safe from potential injuries, but placing such a heavy emphasis on the lower extremities discounts the impact that running can have on the rest of the body. Persons who run could also experience back and neck pain, and reducing the risk of these will be just as important as protecting your legs. A new report out of Las Vegas explains how to keep your neck free of strain and pain.
Protection starts before you even put one foot in front of the other. Stretching shouldn’t just focus on your legs; get your neck involved. You want to strive to stretch your neck in every possible direction prior to heading out on your run. Rotate it a full 360 degrees for a few seconds, and then reverse direction so that you get a full clockwise and counter-clockwise movement.
When that’s complete, you’ll want to get your shoulders involved too. Shrugging your shoulders a few times and rotating your arms out wide from your body can get your upper body loose, and your neck benefits because this area will be able to provide a more solid base.
Finally, in addition to just rotating your neck, make sure that you’re stretching it from side to side and backwards and forwards for a few seconds. Move in every direction so that the ligaments are able to be limbered up.
Of course, all of this stretching can be undermined if you’re not running in the appropriate manner. The best run will be that which allows you to hold your back up and your neck straight. When you hunch forward while you run, you’ll be unable to draw in the proper amount of air. Plus, your back will start to hurt, and the neck will follow suit given the impact that each step will have on your contracted spine.
Instead, get in the habit of holding your upper body upright. This will necessarily encourage you to keep your neck in the same position; after all, you’re not going to tuck your chin in toward your chest if the rest of your body is pointed straight toward the sky. If you can keep your body straight, you may be surprised by how much better you feel at the end of a run and by what you can accomplish in terms of speed and distance.
When you’re done with the run, then remember those stretches you carried out before you got your jog on. Conduct those same movements with your neck at the end of the run, and your body will thank you, especially if those stretches can aid you in avoiding a cervical spinal fusion surgery.