How can I Decompress my Neck at Home?

There is no doubt that everyone has experienced neck & shoulder dicomfort at some point in time. With poor posture and gravity pulling down on us, we feel hunched when we sit or move. As if our head are being pushed down on our thorax, causing tightness, and stiffness around our neck, causing a turtle-neck appearance.

How can I Decompress my own neck?

Yes! You can do it yourself. 

You can decompress your neck with these four self-tractions at home. With this method, you won't need any special equipment like neck stretcher, or devices, or even a Y-strap but before performing them make sure you are in supervision of an healt expert and once you gain more knowledge you can perform them at home by yourself. 

The four movements in this sequence will target various neck tissues at the back, the discs at the front, as well as the joint capsules in the neck. 

The following exercises can be helpful even if you have a bulging disc or an irritated nerve. 

Also Watch : How You Can Decompress Your Neck for Instant Pain Relief

1. A Neck Elongation Stretching 

Stretching our neck will pull our shoulders back. Hence, you should visualize your shoulder blades returning and descending. 

• By pulling your shoulders and your lower neck away from the upper part of your neck, you will begin to traction the bottom of your neck. To put it simply, we will pull our shoulders back, pull them down, and hold them. Using this stretch will help you to traction your lower neck. 
• Next, let's take our chin and pull and tuck it, pretend it's a string on the top of your head being pulled up, and let's try to extend our spine while doing this. 
• This is an excellent neck decompression stretch that extends down into the mid thoracic spine.  It takes from 5 to 10 sets to complete this exercise. Hold it for 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat it five to ten more times. 

2. The Decompression Neck Stretch Method

First, stretch the discs deep inside the neck and the front of the neck.  It's very easy to do this on a bench, on a couch, or any neck discomfort relief devices or even on your bed. 

• Start with your head firmly planted on the surface and gradually shift back to your comfort level. 
• To open up the anterior part of the discs in the neck, According to Dr. Jon Saunders, it's like coming all the way back using the weight of my head to help elongate the muscles at the front. This should be held for 15-30 seconds, maybe even a minute.

3.  Self Neck Traction (With a Towel)

You just need a towel, one that is just outside shoulder width apart. Take the towel back and wrap it around your neck. It sits in the middle of your neck, near the upper part. It's as simple as traction up.  

• Usually, it fits best at the back of your neck. It will take you between 15 and 30 seconds to hold this. You can repeat this up to five times. With this towel traction stretch, your back of the neck will be stretched. In order to traction the side of the neck, the towel works perfectly. You may feel it deep in your neck as well, as it pulls the discs apart, pulls the joints apart. 
• You will keep the piece in the same spot, but you will shorten one end. In other words, you need to stretch your right side of the neck.
• It needs to be pulled up just over your ear. Let's pull it around with a top arm and fix the short end.  It needs to be pulled slightly around.  You just need to let your neck move into that stretch, as the pressure is mostly on the top of your forehead.  
• Depending on which side you're stretching, you may feel this stretch on your side and even at the back of your neck. Next, we'll shorten the opposite side. Bring this over the ear and fix it around the forehead. Consequently, you'll get some rotation and traction. 
• It's very controlled and slow.  As you stretch the side of your neck, you'll feel it really open up. 

4. Neck Elbow Stretch

You can decompress your neck in the comfort of your own home, using your elbows as a fulcrum.  It is best to be on your knees and on your bed.  

• To begin with, take hold of your hands at the back.  Put your hands on the back of your skull with your arms resting. Pulling up in a tricep extension sort of fashion, clasp the back of the skull, and gently traction your neck.
• By leaning down, your arms will gently traction your neck through their push-up action. You can place your hands in a variety of ways, according to what feels most comfortable to you. 
• A few people use their thumb or finger meaty parts.  
• Put yourself in a comfortable position and gently traction up anything that feels comfortable for you.    

Your neck is one of the most sensitive parts of your spine. You may not be able to use all of them. It is not recommended to perform these exercises if you have an underlying spinal condition that makes you unstable, such as degenerative disc disease, a bulging disc, rheumatoid arthritis, or even osteoporosis. If you are unsure whether these self-traction stretches are suitable for you, please speak with your primary health provider.

What happens when you decompress a neck?

According to health experts, there are many conditions that may be treated with cervical decompression therapy, including neck discomfort, bulging discs, or herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and cervical stenosis.  

In addition to providing an axial stretch, decompression also relieves the discomfort associated with these conditions by relieving pressure on the neck joint and disc. The disc is allowed to repair itself by promoting blood flow to it as it is decompressed.

What are the benefits of decompressing your neck?

• A decompression treatment provides an axial stretch, pulling the neck and head upwards, relieving the symptoms associated with arthritis and isogenic diseases of the neck. 
• Blood flow is stimulated to the disc after the disc is decompressed, making it possible for the disc to repair itself.

How often should you decompress your neck?

All of us are affected by gravity, which makes the Spinal Decompression exercises beneficial to almost everyone. To decompress the spine and to increase circulation, oxygenation, and nerve supply, We recommend using them to decompress it for two to three minutes, twice a day. 

In the End….

The above list of four neck decompression stretching exercises is designed to help relieve pressure in your neck, upper back, and spinal discs. With NO EQUIPMENT, you can quickly and easily stretch your neck and upper back with these self neck traction stretches!