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5 Stretches to Relieve Neck Pain and Stress for All Ages

LLA Therapy typically treats pediatric patients, but we realize how this pandemic has caused increased stress levels in all ages especially parents. Many people are now working from home, teaching their children and having circumstances that can cause increased tension in their head and neck.

Here are a few simple stretches to help relieve “the pain in the neck” that this pandemic has caused.

1. Upper Trapezius Stretch

  • The upper trapezius muscle is a large muscle that runs from neck /upper back to the clavicle. This is a muscle that becomes very tight and many people carry stress through this muscle.
  • Place one hand behind your back and gently use your opposite hand to bend your neck towards the opposite shoulder. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat 3x on each side. Can repeat as often as needed for relief.

2. Levator Stretch (Smell the Armpit Stretch)

  • This stretch is very similar to the above stretch. It just stretches a different muscle in the neck. The levator scapulae is a muscle that runs from the neck to the shoulder blade.
  • Place one hand behind your back and gently use your opposite hand to bend your neck and look towards your opposite armpit. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat 3x on each side. Can repeat as often as needed for relief. You should feel the stretch in your neck.

3. Doorway Pectoralis Stretch

  • This stretch targets the pectoralis muscle that runs from the chest to the arm. This muscle can get tight due to rounded shoulders and forward head posture.
  • Place your arm at 90 degrees and keep your elbow bent on a doorway, rotate your body away from your arm. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat 3 times. You should feel a stretch in the front of your chest, if you feel a pinching in the back of your shoulder stop the stretch. All stretches should be pain free.

4. W Reach Stretch

  • This is a good stretch for opening the chest and working on pinching shoulder blades back.
  • Go against a wall and place arms in a “W” position. Slowly extend elbows and reach as high as you can while keeping your back and arms on the wall. Slowly go back to starting position. Complete 10 times.

5. Chin Tuck

  • The chin tuck exercise can be competed while sitting up or laying down. This exercise is great for working on the deep anterior neck muscles as well as stretching the occipital muscles at the back of the neck. The occipital muscles are muscles that commonly get tight and can cause headaches.
  • Place a finger on your chin, bring your chin straight back. Only use your finger as a cue to push straight back.  Hold 2-5 seconds when pressing back and complete 10x.
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Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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