How to strengthen and protect your neck

Swimming specialist physiotherapist Alex Ewart is your guide to preventing a problem that afflicts many swimmers: neck pain

Recently a swimmer named Susan came to see me with nagging neck pain. The pain was getting in the way of her swimming. She loved to swim in open water and was frustrated that the pain in her neck was preventing her. In addition, the water would soon be too cold for long distance swimming so she did not have much time left in the open water swim season.

Her pain started when she began doing more open water swimming and had progressively worsened. At the beginning of each swim the pain was minimal but after 15-20 minutes, she was barely able to lift her head to sight or turn to breathe. How could she get rid of her neck pain and return to swimming comfortably?

The exercises below are the ones I suggested to Susan to relieve her neck pain. Neck pain is a risk for open water swimmers. Even if you don’t suffer from it now, doing these simple exercises to strengthen your neck should reduce your risk of being affected.

What causes neck pain?

Every time you take a breath when swimming, you have to use your neck muscles to rotate your head. If you turn your head too far while breathing, this will increase the straining on our muscles.

Also, when swimming in open water, you use your neck to lift your head to look forwards when sighting. These motions can cause the neck muscles to become extremely tight.

A tight neck can also lead to less-thanoptimal shoulder movements, which can potentially cause a shoulder injury.

Try the following exercises to strengthen and look after your neck.

Exercises to strengthen and protect your neck

Chin Tucks With Rotation

The chin tuck with rotation is amazing for decreasing tightness in the neck. This exercise gets the muscles in the front of the neck (the deep neck flexors) activated, and helps stretch out the muscles in the back of the neck (the ones that typically tighten up).

How to:

Start in a quadruped position on all fours. Gently retract your chin towards your throat while maintaining a neutral spine. Then, slowly rotate your head to one side, bringing your ear towards your shoulder. Hold the position for a few seconds, then return to the center and repeat on the other side. Do 8-10 rotations per side.

Thoracic Extension Over Foam Roller

With a tight neck, your mid back (thoracic spine) commonly tightens up too. Getting
the mid-back moving helps reduce tightness in the neck.

How to:

Lie on a foam roller so that it is perpendicular to your trunk while supporting your head and hips. Extend back gently, arching your mid back. Hold briefly, then return to the starting position. Repeat for 8-10 repetitions.

Chin Tuck On Foam Roller

There is nothing like a self-myofascial release to help get your neck moving correctly. This is an excellent choice to relax all the muscles around the neck. Plus, it feels pretty darn good!

How to:

Lie on your back with a foam roller horizontally on the floor behind your head. Gently press the back of your head into the foam roller while performing a chin tuck. Hold the chin tuck position for a few seconds, focusing on lengthening the back of your neck. Relax and repeat the exercise for 8-10 repetitions.

Bonus Tip

As well as the exercises above, it is worth evaluating your stroke. I asked Susan to send me a video of her swimming from which we could see she was turning her head more than necessary to breathe. Improving this this also helped reduce her neck pain.

If you experience any neck pain or soreness while swimming, try to avoid lifting your head when taking a breath. Neck soreness is extremely common among swimmers. However, it can be alleviated or significantly decreased by specific exercises and ensuring you maintain proper head position when taking a breath.

Alex Ewart is a strength coach and physical therapist. Find out more at theswimmingpt.com

Read Alex’s guide to preventing shoulder injury.