If I had a dollar for every time someone quit their Pilates practice because their neck hurt, we would have a much larger studio! All jokes aside, neck pain is not a laughing matter, you know this very well if you have ever experienced any during your sessions. What causes this nagging neck pain, and how can you get rid of it? Keep reading to find out the top causes, and how to work with them.

A well balanced Pilates session should include flexion, extension and rotation. Flexion tends to be the largest offender for neck pain in Pilates. Flexion is more than just bending at the waist, or a joint, flexion includes movements like lifting your head off the mat.

When we lift our head off the mat ideally we would be engaging our abdominals to lift and keep the weight of our head in, ideally. What tends to happen is we either lift with our face first, or we over tuck our chin. An easy way to determine which one it is you are doing, is figuring out where you feel your neck soreness. If your soreness tends to be in the front of your neck, then you are most likely lifting with your face first. If your soreness is in the back of the neck, then you are most likely over tucking your chin.

If you are lifting with your face first, try gently nodding your head “yes” before you lift. This natural tuck of the chin will help keep the weight of your head forward and engage the abdominals more.

If you are over-tucking your chin, try to find length in the back of your neck. Imagining a clementine under your chin will help keep your nod more reserved and reduce the tension from being over stretched. You’ll also find it easier to engage your abdominals while holding the head in proper alignment.

There you have it, those are the two most common neck issues and how to address them. For more Pilates information, keep your eyes peeled for our next blog.

Cheers

-Jennifer