Shoulder/neck exercises to ease tension and stop headaches?

[Bumperlicious]

Background is I am 15 weeks pg, and not been sleeping very well.

I get very tense around my neck and shoulders (probably due to job and being sat at laptop on MN ). Recently it got much worse as I went away and slept on really high pillows which killed my neck and was agony. I went to the osteopath for a combo of massage and osteopathy which helped, but I am still pretty tense and it is giving me regular headaches.

Does anyone know any exercises I can do to ease it? I can't afford the osteo at £40 a time, and I know from experience it will only worse when LO comes along and I am bfing.

Bump

Well there's a yoga posture called the Plough which helps sometimes but not sure if you can do it when pregnant. You lie flat on your back with your hands by yourside, palms down. Then slowly raise your legs as high as you can, ideally touching the floor behind your head (not as hard as it sounds). Then bring them back down slowly. Repeat three times and the last time keep your legs behind you as long as you want.

This stretches our your spine beautifully but you need to check it's safe for pregnancy.

Otherwise try a deep warm bath and then move down the bath until your head is floating without your shoulder touching the bath. It allows your shoulders to untense.

BTW I sympathise hugely! I have terrible uppe back and shoulder problems.

Thanks ORm, I can do the plough, though not sure if I can do it in pregnancy. But I'm not sure it will help. IIRC I find that the plough, while stretching my lower back, seems to compress my neck a bit so not sure it would help. I kind of need to stretch in the opposite direction, and open up my shoulders.

It's been so long since I have done yoga, not really since I was pg last time.

Try the camel then? If the plough doesn't work you can go further and touch your knees to the floor. I guesss it depends on what sort of problem you have.

I find 'rolling' my spine up and down really helps. Start by tucking in your chin and slow bend back down to waist and slowly back up again. Hope that make sense.

Also 'windmilling' my arms, backwards and forwards. Arms stretched out and then with elbow bent.

I do several excercises to relieve tension when I have being using my computer too much. A physiotherapist taught me these two.

Stand up, stretch arems straight out in front of you and clasp your hands together. Keep arms stretched as far forward as possible (as if you are trying to make your arms longer). Then turn your head right as it will go, as if you are trying to look behind you but without moving your shoulders. Alternate with turning your head left as far as it will go. Hold for a few seconds before turning back the other way. Do 10 times each way.

The second one I do is to put my arm up my back with palm facing outward trying to touch my sholder blade with my finger tips. Do 10 times with alternate arms. Make all movements slow and deliberate and stretching as far as you can. Hold for a few seconds before moving back to the other arm.

Finally, and most bizare, massage your big toes and around the area where it joins your foot. Bend, twist and squeeze aggresively. The big toe in reflexology is an analogue of the head and neck. I use this to cure headaches. A reflexologist taught me this - it really works. It is like giving yourself a head, neck and shoulder massage.