Neck Pain – Mara Core Conditioning

Shoulder Stabilization & Mobility Series

admin-mara — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 16:23:07 +0000

The shoulder is a complex joint that can easily become dysfunctional. Whether you play tennis, golf or another sport or if you are trying to improve your health, strength and flexibility, it’s very important to keep your joints functional and specific to your daily tasks.

The shoulder joint has four separate joints:

Sternoclavicular
Acromioclavicular
Glenohumeral
Scapulothoracic

The muscles surrounding these four joints need to work together, otherwise, the neck and shoulder muscles can be overworked, leading to pain and other problems. To avoid overworking the neck and shoulder, you should focus on two techniques:

Shoulder mobility provides the upper extremities with tremendous range of motion in multiple planes. Furthermore, if we deprive the shoulders of one of its anatomical motions, we lose its functionality and the joint will be predisposed to injury.
Shoulder stabilization helps you maintain proper joint position and control during movement to reduce tension in the neck, shoulders, elbows and hands.

In the videos below, I share a series of exercises to help with both shoulder stabilization and mobility. If you are interested in learning more, try a class! We teach locally at our Newton, MA studio or via Zoom. Contact us to learn how we can design a program specifically for you. Phone: 617-852-6785 or Email: info@maracoreconditioning.com.

Video 1: Shoulder Stabilization & Mobility on the Pilates Chair

Video 2: Shoulder Stabilization & Mobility on the Cadillac 1

Video 3: Shoulder Stabilization & Mobility on the Cadillac 2

Five Ways to Release Neck Pain in a Doorway

admin-mara — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:54:15 +0000

Do you find yourself hunching over while working or looking at your phone? Are you hunching over while reading this right now? If you suffer from chronic neck pain, this may be the root of the problem.

Slouching and slumping cause neck, shoulder and back pain. While we must always strive to improve our posture, it’s also really important to relax and to stabilize the shoulders.

The doorway is a perfect tool for this because it anchors the shoulders and repositions them allowing the neck to be free of stress. Also, using the doorway helps us elongate our spine and scoop in the transverse abdominal which provides core strength and stability.

This video shows five exercises to release neck pain while standing in the doorway. Throughout the exercises, push the doorway away with your arms positioned “east & west” while looking straight ahead to the future!

Raise the shoulders up & down and then relax them down
Look to the right & look to the left, rotating your neck
Tilt the head to the right & tilt it to the left bringing the ear to your shoulder
Look up & look down
Pull the doorway down, raise your heels up and let the crown of your head reach towards the ceiling

Interested in trying a class? We teach locally at our Newton, MA studio or via Zoom. Contact us to learn how we can design a program specifically for you! Phone: 617-852-6785 or Email: info@maracoreconditioning.com.

Five Chair Exercises to Relieve Neck Pain

admin-mara — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:25:40 +0000

How many times do you hear yourself say “my neck is killing me” ? You are not alone! Many of my students first reach out to me for help with their chronic neck pain.

Here some common reasons why you might have neck pain:

Poor posture or hunching over
Sitting at your desk for long periods of time
Sleeping with your neck in a funny position
Wrong computer monitor height
Extra muscle strain from things like lifting heavy things or improper form while exercising

To alleviate neck pain, start every day with these five simple exercises that mobilize the neck while stabilizing the shoulders. I recommend doing this series several times a day – especially if you work at a desk.

Watch: Pilates for Neck Pain on the Chair

Raise the shoulders up & down and relax them down
Hold & freeze the shoulders pushing your hands down on the chair
Look to the right & look to the left rotating your neck
Tilt the head to the right & tilt it to the left side, flexing your neck
Look down & look up flexing and extending your neck

Interested in learning more ways to relieve your neck pain? Try a class! We teach locally at our Newton, MA studio or via Zoom. Contact us at 617-852-6785 or email info@maracoreconditioning.com.