Are you unable to lift your head off the pillow? Does it feel overly difficult and painful to lift your head off the pillow to start the day? Does your head feel heavy in general? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then addressing your neck strength is vital.

Having sufficient neck strength is one key component to prevent neck pain. Strength deficits are routinely noted in individuals with neck pain. Other key elements are range of motion and overall coordination. Deficits in any one of these can lead people down the path toward a painful neck.

There is a strength test that asks a person to tuck their chin and lift their head. The goal is to hold as long as possible without compensation or pain. The reported average for a person without neck pain is 38 seconds. A large percentage of people, even without neck pain, are unable to perform this well. Those with neck pain average less than half of that.

Ok, so my neck hurts and I cannot hold my head up…what can I do?

Time to start strengthening those neck muscles. Sure, you can google exercises for neck strength or ask a friend, but will those be the best exercises for YOU? An important element with strengthening the neck is starting at the proper spot for you. The goal is to find a sufficiently challenging exercise that a person can perform WITHOUT any muscle compensation or pain. If too hard an exercise is chosen, then compensation is sure to occur and issues will persist.

How can I find the best exercise to begin? By having an examination by an expert in neck pain. This physical therapist will confirm strength is a key issue and then test and retest until the best exercise is selected for you. You will learn the proper technique and be provided with a structured exercise program. In this way you can be sure you are performing the best exercise(s) properly.

With proper training over time, even those who previously dealt with neck pain can achieve 38 or more seconds of hold time on the above-mentioned test.

Ready to be done with a weak feeling neck? One that makes it hard to lift your head off the pillow? Then click the following LINK to connect with an expert today.