Neck and Shoulder Care Pilates

TEXT NECK & TENSION HEADACHE

Do you have a stiff neck or tension headache, or does your upper shoulders feel tight all the time? Or you have radiating pain down the arm and fingers. You may have a condition known as “text neck.” It is a type of neck (or cervical) pain and injury caused by excessive use of handheld mobile devices with the head forward over an extended period of time.

An infographic created in 2017 by undergraduates from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University highlighted the danger of a “seemingly innocent” tilt of the head when looking down at the mobile phone or tablet:

Infographic source: NTU

The infographic showed every tilt of the head forward by 15 degrees, compared to the rest of the body, increases the weight of the head by four to six kilograms, which is about the average weight of a bag of rice.

Imagine carrying a 5-kg bag of rice for just 30 minutes around the supermarket without a pushcart. You would understand the load the neck and upper spinal muscles have to deal with every time you bend forward to read or reply to an email or watch a video on the mobile phone, while commuting to work. If the activities are repeated many times over, imagine the strain you put on your neck and upper back muscles.

Tension headache is a common symptom of neck pain. Typically there is a throbbing pain on the temple, and sometimes at the back of the eye or ear. Stiff upper back muscles and radiating pain down the arm to the fingers due to long hours holding on to the mobile devices are also common symptoms of text neck.

WHY CORE EXERCISE

How to break the cycle of neck and shoulder pain? Restricting the time spent on phones and tablets, improving the posture and upper body strength are steps that can be taken. But if you have trouble maintaining a good posture, try strengthening your core muscles. A stronger core can help you maintain a better posture.

Core muscles are responsible for trunk and pelvic (or hip) stability. Pelvic stability in particular, has a strong influence on the head and neck positions.

Studies showed the position of the pelvis plays an important role in determining posture in a normal spine. There is a strong correlation between pelvic angle and lumbar lordosis, which shapes thoracic kyphosis and affects the head and neck positions.

In other words, a pelvis which is stable — often described as in a “neutral spine” position — has a positive chain effect on the neck and upper spine. A stable pelvis restores the natural curves of the spine, and releases tension to the head and neck. As a result, in cases where there are posture misalignments such as a forward head neck posture, a bad posture common in text neck, and in adolescent scoliosis, a condition prevalent among teenage girls, re-establishing the relation between the upper spine and pelvis should be considered in the treatment, research showed.

So if you have neck and shoulder pain, and nothing seems to work, try core exercise. Doing exercises which help you maintain a stable pelvis may just be the type of exercise you need for your neck and shoulders.

UPPER BODY STRENGTH

Pilates is best known to strengthen core muscles, but Pilates also improves upper body strength. If you have focused mainly on aerobic exercises, and not enough on building upper body strength, try Pilates to improve your arm, shoulder and upper back muscles. Pilates is a good exercise for fitness, particularly if you are looking to increase strength without bulking up.

On the other hand, if you have used mainly weights to train your upper body, such as in weight lifting and cross fit training, Pilates can complement your workout. As Pilates uses springs for resistance, Pilates exercises generally have a longer eccentric phase which lengthens out the muscles which are being worked. In contrast, exercises which use weights as resistance generally have a more concentric phase, or shortening of the muscles to build strength. Working the muscles eccentrically improve muscle control and tone. Pilates exercise could add variety to your workout.

START TODAY

You can enjoy Pilates whether you are doing the exercises for neck and shoulder rehabilitation or for fitness. Pilates increases pelvic stability which is important for good posture, and strengthens the upper body. Why not give Pilates a try today?

We offer Pilates 1-to-1, Duet and Group classes. If your neck or shoulder pain is persistent, we also provide Manual Therapy for both Neck and Shoulder Care to loosen tension on the neck and shoulders. Manual Therapy can be done with Pilates 1-to-1, or as a separate session. Select from below the programme that best suits you:

Neck and Shoulder Care Programmes

Bespoke Pilates

Pilates 1-to-1

You want to improve your posture and upper body strength, or you are recovering from a shoulder injury and want to be more careful with your exercise. What you will receive from the 1-to-1:

  • A personalised Pilates session to suit your need
  • Particularly helpful if you have specific tightness on the neck and shoulders and want to focus on the area/s
  • Enjoy the different ways to stretch and strengthen your upper back, arms and shoulders
  • Strengthen core muscles: if you don’t enjoy core and abdominal exercises because they strain your neck, get the help you need to improve your core without straining neck muscles
  • Go slow on exercises you find difficult, speed up on exercises you find easy; workout at a pace that suits you, improve faster
  • Access to Rehabilitation for pain relief, manual therapy is included in the session at no extra charge. See Neck and Shoulder Care Manual Therapy for more details

Sign up for a trial today

(65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below.

Find relief from neck pain and tension headache

Neck Care

Do you have tension headache, or tight neck and upper back muscles? Are they causing you a lot of discomfort? What you will receive from the session:

  • An assessment of the pain and range of motion
  • Manual therapy to loosen tension on the neck, back and shoulders: find relief from the headache and shoulder tension, feel better
  • Improve neck movement: look up, down and turn your head without pain
  • Receive stretching exercises for the neck muscles which you can do at home
  • Access to Pilates at no extra charge to improve posture and upper body strength for more long-term relief
  • Receive exercise progression so that you could improve further

Sign up for a trial today

(65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below.

Find Relief from Shoulder Pain

Shoulder Care

Does your shoulder or shoulder blade muscles feel achy all the time? Do you have difficulty doing overhead exercises, or moving the arm behind the body? Try manual therapy. What you will receive from the session:

  • An assessment of the pain and range of motion
  • Manual therapy to loosen tension on arm and shoulder: feel better
  • Improve arm and shoulder movement: raise your arm, take your arm to the side, front and back without pain
  • Receive stretching and strengthening exercises which you can do at home
  • Access to Pilates at no extra charge to improve upper body strength and posture for more long term relief
  • Receive exercise progression so that you could improve further

Sign up for a trial today

(65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below.

Pilates neck and shoulder exercises for two

Pilates Duet

You want to try Pilates, and share the experience with a loved one or friend. Our sweetheart sessions may just be the answer:

  • Strengthen and stretch in a programme designed for you both. Find a better match between your need and interest, and the exercise
  • The exercises will also address specific aches or pain you have such as neck and shoulders; avoid injury
  • Flexible timing to suit your schedule, so you rarely miss a session; improve with regular practice
  • Build lean muscles, get back into shape
  • Improve your sitting and standing posture; experience less aches and pain
  • Option to top-up for a 3rd person, a loved one or friend, to join you in class; pay per use

Sign up for a trial today

(65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below.

Small Group Class

Group Class Pilates

We know everyone is different, so we offer a variety of group classes for Fitness, Rehab, Prenatal and Active Aging to meet your special goals:

  • Fitness: do you want to get back to shape and be fitter? Our Reformer & Mat Flow allow you to take a combination of reformer and mat exercises for a well-rounded workout
  • Rehab: Reformer Care taps into the benefits of Pilates for Rehabilitation
  • Prenatal: enjoy core exercises with other mothers-to-be in a class solely for you
  • Active Aging: if you are 65 years and above, the Gold Class helps you achieve your goals of staying active and pain free
  • Small class size of 4 – 6 participants to 1 instructor, receive the attention you need
  • Many classes to choose from, never miss a session
*T&Cs apply.

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    Testimonials

    Very Happy To Find This Studio

    I highly recommend this Pilates studio! I have tried many Pilates studios but none as professional and patient as May. After taking her lessons for a few months, my terrible stiff neck is gone! Very happy I found this studio.
    Maiko

    A surprisingly pleasant intro to Pilates

    Thank you for a very surprisingly pleasant introduction to Pilates. I am an experienced athlete and a professional diver with chronic stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Today, I found new skills to augment what I already knew, and a focus on proper technique for great results. I felt very effectively engaged.
    Eddie

    Each session I see improvement

    I was fortunate to connect with May at Move Therapy to heal my shoulder and back issues. On day one, she did a thorough assessment of my posture and range of motion. She made a great exercise plan for me. With each session I could see the improvement, and magically my pain went away. Still before starting each session, she would assess then adjust the exercises accordingly. Thank you May for relieving my pain and giving me a new understanding on how I can maintain my body balance and posture!! I strongly recommend Move Therapy to anybody who is in pain, and if you are not in pain, the sessions will let you gain a new understanding of the human body.
    Rohit

    KEEP PAIN AWAY ACTIVELY

    "I'd dizzy spells and headache. They were so bad that I’d been unable to work. I saw many health professionals and nothing worked until I saw May. In my one-to-one sessions, May relieved the tension from my neck and shoulders, and she showed me how I can actively keep the pain away through rolling and exercise. With exercise, my legs are also stronger. I can walk further. I climbed Mt Fuji in Japan with my husband in 2015. A year ago, I won't have thought I would be able to join my husband on the trip up Mt Fuji."
    Shubha