Cervical Spine Extension
Directions:
» Begin by sitting upright in a chair with good posture.
» Face Forward in a neutral position.
» Tilt your head backwards as far as possible. Be sure to maintain contact with the chair.
»Return to the starting position.
»Ensure that you move further into end range with each repeated extension.
Here are some responses to look out for:
After performing the movement, if your pain increases and remains worse for more than 15 minutes:
» Stop performing this exercise and contact your medical office for advice from the Health Coach.
If you are having symptoms in your upper extremities and neck:
» If this exercise improves your upper extremity symptoms, but your neck pain increases, keep going! This result is termed centralization and is strongly correlated with an excellent outcome!
» If this exercise begins to produce upper extremity symptoms or increase those that are already present, stop performing these exercises and contact your medical office to speak to the Health Coach. This is termed peripheralization.
