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Yoga For Neck Pain And It's Health Benefits

Last Updated: Jan 20, 2025

Benefits of yoga for neck pain

Life in today's scenario is such fast-paced that it leads to stress and tension which takes its toll on the overall health of a person. A person that works on a laptop or a desktop or people that have a habit of crouching before the television easily develop pain in their neck. There is absolutely no doubt that doing yoga provides immense therapeutic advantages to a person. Yoga is an exceptional way of providing relief to pain.

There have been studies which indicates that doing yoga regularly not only improves the functionality of the neck muscles but it also alleviates the pain in the neck. Doing yoga enhances the functioning of the muscles around the chest and shoulder that support the neck. The strength of these muscles also increases by doing yoga. There are asanas that provide relief in the tension of the muscles of the neck which in turn gradually alleviates the neck pain. The asanas in yoga also help in correcting the posture of the body thereby relaxing the muscles in the neck region. Given below are some of the asanas of yoga that a person in alleviating pain in the neck.

Yoga asanas for neck pain

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Standing Forward Bend

Stand on your feet and extend your body as you bend forward from your waist. Keep your knees slightly bent. Spread your hands and reach for your legs or the floor. Keep your chin close to your chest and allow your neck and head to relax. You can move your head gently back and forth or from sideways. Stay in this position for a while and slowly get back to your previous position keeping your back straight. This helps relieve tension in the neck.
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Cat/Cow Pose

Placing your hands and feet on the floor, push your torso up and then bring it down to level. When you push your body up, keep your face up towards the ceiling and breathe in. Lower your face and breathe out as you bring your torso back to level. This posture helps massage your spine and stretches your torso and back.
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Sphinx Pose

This relaxes your spine and relieves you from neck pain. Lie on your stomach and place your elbows on the floor such that they relax under the shoulder arms. Stretch your body forward by putting pressure on your feet. Also, keep the upper portion of your feet stretched. Lift your head up and breathe. Hold on to the position for some time before going lying back down.
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Thread The Needle

This yoga pose releases tension in the back, neck and shoulder. Start on all fours placing your wrist under the shoulder and the knee below your hips. Raise the right hand, move it over to your left along the floor. Make sure your palm is facing up. Keep your left hand presses against the floor for better support, and rest your body on the right shoulder. Look over to your left and hold the position for about 30 seconds. Slowly release the posture and repeat the same on your other side.

Conclusion

Besides yoga, if someone has a question that whether taking a healthy diet can improve the condition of the neck then the answer is yes. However, it would be wrong to say that there is a miracle food that completely cures the pain but there are foods which provide support to the nerves, connecting tissue and health of the bones. Sometimes lacking essential nutrients can also lead to pain in various parts of the body including the neck. The diet for a person suffering from neck pain must include foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, and salmon. Including antioxidants and fiber in the diet also has a great impact on the neck as foods rich in fiber have anti-inflammatory properties. Deficiency of vitamin D and calcium can also cause neck pain.

Thus it is essential that foods rich in calcium and vitamin D like soy milk and orange juice must be added to the diet. Magnesium rich food has a great impact on the health. Lack of magnesium in the body can lead to various health problems including neck pain. Thus adding vegetables, beans and whole grains rich in magnesium would provide immense benefit to the muscles of the neck. For completely alleviating the pain from the neck it is essential that yoga is complemented with a proper and a healthy diet that supports the muscles of the neck.

References

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    Written ByDr. Pranjit Mushahary MBBS,MD(medicine),MD - Internal MedicineGeneral Physician
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    Reviewed ByDr. Bhupindera Jaswant SinghMD - Consultant PhysicianGeneral Physician
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