Being newly postpartum, your life has changed a lot. You no longer sleep more than 2 hours at a time, you don’t have a pregnant belly to lug around anymore, and you spend a lot more time looking down. Whether you’re lifting or lowering your baby from place to place, monitoring your newborn in tummy time, picking up toys and books scattered across the floor, or helping your little one get a good latch and keep it, the amount of time you spend looking up and out at the world has inevitably disappeared overnight.
Unfortunately, all that looking down comes at a cost. Postpartum neck pain — aka “nursing neck” is incredibly common and can make you extremely uncomfortable. The moves below can bring you some relief, but if pain continues, see a physical therapist to get it taken care of. Caring for your baby should never hurt.
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Why gazing down at baby is bad for your neck
Research shows that, for every degree forward that you tilt your head, you increase the amount of work your neck muscles need to do in order to hold that pose. The average head weighs 10-12 pounds, but when you bend your neck even 30 degrees, the relative weight of your head comes closer to 40 pounds!
Xem thêm : U.S. Food and Drug Administration
That’s a lot of work and the sudden increased demand on your body can make even the healthiest person a victim of postpartum neck pain.
Moves that relieve postpartum neck pain
1. First, create a few new habits
With a baby to care for, there are so many times when you can’t avoid looking down, so it’s important that you modify those times when you can.
- If you use a laptop often, consider buying a Bluetooth keyboard and a laptop stand that brings your screen to eye level. In lieu of a stand, you can also use a box and/or a stack of books.
- When quickly checking your phone, hold it up in front of your eyes and adjust your neck to bring your ears in line with your shoulders.
- For longer scroll sessions at home, hold your phone at eye level, using pillows or an armrest to support your arm in this position.
- When nursing or bottle-feeding, take frequent breaks from downward gazing (look up and bring ears in line with your shoulders).
2. Massage out tension using a tennis or lacrosse ball
- Stand up straight with your back to a wall.
- Place a ball against the wall and lean your upper back onto the ball. The ball should be between your spine and your shoulder blade on the side you would like to work.
- Roll the ball around the area. If you feel a particularly tender spot, hold the position leaning back onto the ball to apply more pressure on the area until it releases. Tip: Never roll the ball over the base of your neck or onto your spine.
Note: This should not be painful but may be uncomfortable. If pain, numbness or tingling occur while doing this exercise, stop and reach out to your primary care provider or physical therapist for guidance.
3. Open up with wall angels
- Stand with your back and heels up against a wall.
- Bring your arms out to your sides, flattening them against the wall at a 45 degree angle.
- Keep your forearms on the wall as you slide your arms along the wall up towards your head, and back to the starting position. Tip: Keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears for the duration of the movement.
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Note: You may experience tingling in your fingertips with this exercise, this sensation should resolve with stopping the exercise, if it remains, discontinue this exercise and reach out to your primary care provider.
4. Bring your ears back with chin tucks
- Lay on your back with shoulders away from your ears.
- Lengthen the back of your neck by tucking your chin down towards your chest, and drawing the back of your head upwards slightly. Tip: Imagine a string being pulled out of the top of your head as you tuck. Keep your head on the ground.
- Hold for a few seconds, then repeat.
Note: If this exercise makes you lightheaded, stop and consult your primary care provider.
5. Stretch tight, overworked neck muscles
- Sit upright on a chair with your feet flat and arms at your sides.
- Slowly bring your ear to your shoulder as you tilt your head to the side. You may gently rest your hand on your head for added weight and stretch. Tip: Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears for the duration of the stretch.
- Hold the stretch and breathe, then slowly return to the start position.
Note: Stop if this causes pain, also do not make sudden movements when releasing this stretch, be slow and gentle to return to neutral
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