This Program is all about the neck and upper back (upper thoracics) and how we can improve strength and flexibility in everyday movements.
Our neck and upper back are made up of cervical and thoracic vertebrae and discs, nerves, and muscles. We use our necks all day long, beginning when we wake up – they support our heads and move as our eyes search for things around us.
The flexible muscles around our neck tend to tire quickly, and when they do, it negatively affects our posture. If you sit at a desk all day for work, spend most of your day hunched over your smartphone, or knit for long stretches of time, you may have a tendency to move your head forward. This creates tightness in the back of the neck. To make things worse, when the shoulders and upper back round forward too much, they cause our chest muscles to get really tight and the upper back muscles get weaker. The tight muscles can be painful, which in turn makes it hard for us to turn our head or sit up straight. It’s a snowball effect; weakness leads to tightness and that tightness leads to more weakness and pain.
Thankfully, we don’t need to let the snowball grow any bigger! In fact, we can start melting the proverbial snowball by improving our posture and relieving pain through movement. Our resident physical therapist, Jenna Ellis, will guide you through key stretches and exercises in this program.
What is it?
Our Neck & Upper Back Pain Relief Program is a four-week program designed to strengthen weak muscles, stretch out tight muscles, help your body become aware of good posture, and teach it how to stay in place while moving through your daily life. Made up of seven videos from our resident physical therapist, Jenna Ellis, this program gives you ten-minute routines that can be done daily or every other day.
This program will help you:
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Improve flexibility in tight muscles that limit your upper back and neck
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Strengthen weak muscles in your neck and upper back
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Re-educate the muscles surrounding your neck and upper back to work correctly
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Achieve an improved range of motion with proper movement mechanics
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Learn and maintain good posture
Is this program for you?
This program was designed for anyone who...
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is currently dealing with neck and/or upper back pain.
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is looking to protect their neck and/or upper back from future injuries.
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wants a short, daily routine to keep their neck and upper back healthy.
What to expect:
Like our Foundations Program, this program is based on the ABCs of healthy movement; alignment, balance, and coordination. All three parts include an instructional video with in-depth, slow-paced explanations of each exercise as well as a follow-along video with music and a timer to guide your sessions.
Part one (week one) is all about practicing perfect alignment. That means doing holds. No quick movements, reps, or equipment changes – just getting comfortable in the positions. Since neck and upper back pain tend to be rooted in tightness and weakness, the exercises we’ve chosen for this program work to stretch and strengthen the muscles around your neck and upper back. This will put your body in a better starting position and give you the strength you need for everyday movements like sitting up, standing up, reading the aisle signs in the supermarket, and looking both ways before crossing the street.
Part two (week two) focuses on maintaining proper alignment and balance as you move. Working with the same postures as part one, part two incorporates reps (repeated movements) and guides you as you move between start and end positions. The goal here is to learn how your body behaves and feels while moving with correct posture.
Part three makes up weeks three and four of the program. In this part, you’ll combine alignment and balance, continue with reps, work on coordination, and ramp up the intensity. The goal of this last part is to challenge yourself and build endurance.
How much time will it take?
All of the routines in this program are meant to be completed in ten minutes or less.
To make the corrections stick, we recommend you do these routines daily or every other day. You need to convince your body to change by repeating the correct movement over and over until it becomes normal!
The three parts of the program are mapped out to span four weeks, but we encourage you to listen to your body and go at your own pace. Maybe that means spending an extra week or two in Part Two of the program – maybe that means continuing to do Part Three for years to come. Do what feels right for you.
How to get started:
Please consult your healthcare professional before you begin any new program.
For this program, all you’ll need is a Primal 7 system and the seven videos below.
Essentially, the instructional videos are all about learning and the follow-along videos are all about doing. Be sure to watch the instructional videos first, so you can complete the follow-along videos with perfect form.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: GET TO KNOW YOUR NECK & UPPER BACK
WEEK 1: ALIGNMENT
WEEK 2: BALANCE
WEEKS 3-4: COORDINATION
About our Instructor:
Jenna Ellis is a Physical Therapist. Throughout her ten-year career, she has specialized in orthopedics, post-op surgical patients and young athletes. Jenna has also worked in the homecare setting and loves getting people of all ages back to the game of life. Prior to becoming a Physical Therapist, she was an Athletic Trainer working with high school and college-level athletes.
Jenna obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Medicine Athletic Training from the University of South Florida in 2007 and then went on to graduate from the University of Central Florida with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2010.
You can learn more about Jenna here.
We’re listening.
We hope that our Lower Back Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief Program helps you not only relieve your pain but also improve your everyday movements and Conquer Your Can’t. We’d love to hear about your progress and are always open to suggestions as to what we can do to make our programs better. Whether you want to share an update, request a new program, or give us feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out.
You can comment below, email us at info@primal7.com, or call us at 512-899-2054.