Cervical Retraction Standing—Without a Wall

Cervical retraction is one of the most effective exercise for neck and back pain and treating forward head posture and rounded shoulders there are the two versions of this exercise one with and second without wall

Cervical Retraction Standing—Without a Wall

For performing cervical traction without wall stand with a good posture which means that you hips and feet are aligned keep your feet  about one foot with apart your knee must be straight

Touch your chin down slightly and then push it as far back as you can

In order to protect your back make sure that you are performing this movement gently also as soon as you feel any tension in your shoulders or at the front of the neck and throat then immediately stop it put one of your hand on your chin and press it back to help you guide the movement

Stay in this  position for 10 to 15 seconds and be sure to take a break and continue to relax your neck and Shoulder muscles during that time

To much extension  can disturb your alignment and changes the way in which you are using your muscles which can lead to muscle imbalance and worsening of this condition

It is always a safe option to contact your physical therapist first and perform this exercise in front of them so that they can guide you more accurately

Cervical Retraction at the Wall

You can also try the same exercise with the wall this version is more   stable because the wall will provide you guidance for good neck and head alignment you can hold this position for more than 60 seconds if you are able to do so

Cervical retraction with or without wall is not for everyone if you are suffering from disc problem in your neck or you have flat neck posture then first ask your physical therapist that if it is safe for you to perform this exercise or not because it may worsen your other conditions

Now stand with your feet your about one feet width apart tuck your chin in and pull your head back towards the wall move your body very gently so that when you head actually reaches the wall it doesn’t do with a thud which can lead to head injury

 Stay There with your back of your skull resting on the wall for up to 1 minute your neck will also flatten out  and this is the lengthening we talk about

In most of the cases  neck lengthening will feel relaxing that lengthening will feel relaxing but it will not reduce how far you move your head back or stop the exercise altogether

Make sure that you always contact your physical therapist before performing any exercise by yourself so that they will guide you more better for your condition as it will also protect you from any other injury because of performing exercise incorrectly and will also guide that if the excercise is for you or not