Pilates Classes for a Pain Free Neck

In a Pilates Mat Class there are many exercises that may appear to be, on the surface, dangerous for the neck.  Take a look at these pictures below.  In each exercise the head neck and shoulders are lifted off of the floor without support. This can seem scary especially if a person doesn’t know how to use the body’s breath, how to coordinate spine articulation, or how to keep the organization of the shoulder girdle clear.  When doing these exercises it is important to understand how to keep the neck safe, and it is important to find a pilates class in which the instructor can explain ways to protect the neck or how to modify the exercises so that participation can be consistent and pain free.

the hundred

single straight leg stretch

Here are a few things any pilates instructor should talk about when considering how to protect the neck. 

1.  Breath –  To become aware of how the breath might be a tool to release neck tension place your hand on your breastbone, Take an inhale and an exhale.  Is there movement here?  Check in with your neck again, how is it feeling?  If your breast bone isn’t moving very much with the inhale and the exhale, then it is quite possible that there will be tension in your neck when attempting Pilates exercises.  If you want to make a change, on your next exhale allow the pressure from your hand to encourage the release of the breastbone towards the spine, and on the inhale let the pressure of your hand give resistance to the breastbone so that it rises.  Continue this practice for a few more breaths and then release your hand.  Notice the tension in the neck

In a Pilates class the instructor may cue “Inhale to prepare, exhale as you soften your breastbone and lift your head.”  As a person exhales, releasing the tension in the breastbone allows the diaphragm to release into the thorax, which then allows for the release of the muscles in the back.  This is the most efficient time to engage the abdominals to lift the head.  If the head is lifted before the diaphragm releases into the Thorax then the neck muscles are on their own working without the help of the spine.

Now that previous paragraph sounds pretty complicated…The great thing is that the sequence of movement described above does not have to be a conscious thought process.  All one needs to think is “Exhale and release the breastbone to the spine as  you lift the head.”  That initiation will set the previous sequence of events into motion without any thought to what the diaphragm is doing…

The occipital muscles at the very top of the spine

2. The Spine – I often like to talk to my students about the fact that the top vertebra is between the ears, and thus segmental movement of the spine starts with a nod of the head.    This nod allows for continued length in the spine as the head is lifted.  It lets the head be carried by the fascial hammock created by the upper traps and the erector spinae. It also allows for better spine articulation, which will take pressure off of those overloaded atlas, axis and seventh cervical vertebras.

But once again lets leave all the anatomical mumbo jumbo behind for a little bit.  In a Pilates class keeping your neck safe does not require a kinesiology degree, it requires awareness and a few good cues.  Exhale as you soften the breastbone, nod your head and then engage the abs to lift the head.  Continue breathing, continue reaching the head for the ceiling, and of course if you begin to feel any strain or pain in the neck then lay your head down and try again.  Pilates is a practice, and when it comes to the basics, practice makes easier.     

3.  The Shoulder Girdle – The collarbone, shoulder blade, and arm play a large part in the safety of the neck.  The seventh cervical vertebra is often burdened with the weight of the shoulder girdle if the chest is too tight, and if the shoulders are hypermobile, the thoracic spine tends to try to balance this with a lack of mobility that can often leave the neck to its own devices. 

 one of the myofascial sling that supports the neck in Pilates Classes

A good warm up is the one way to check in with the shoulders.  Often lying on the foam roller to stretch the chest while moving the shoulders through a large range of motion can release anything that might bother the neck in Pilates Exercises.  During the exercise having the mantra widen the collarbones, widen the collarbones, widen the collar bones, will also aid in neck safety and ease.

The following video is full of neck preparation exercises and examples of ways to keep the neck safe.  Watch it, try the exercises, and then come to The Pilates Studio and try a mat class that keeps the neck safe and balances the body.

Try these exercises out and feel free to comment with any questions.  We are happy to help make Pilates a safe practice for anyone's neck.

Katrina Hawley C.M.A, R.S.M.E
Co-owner of The Pilates Studio