Foam Roller Exercises to Help Neck, Shoulder, and Upper Back Pain | Pain Science Physical Therapy

Pain Science Physical Therapy lead physical therapist Dr. Orit Hickman shows off various physical therapy exercises you can perform on a foam roller that can strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles.

It’s important you keep the right position when performing these exercises, with your tailbone on the edge of the foam roller, head supported on foam roller, and shoulder blades on either side of the roller. The foam roller should touch the center of your spine, right at the thoracic spine. Keep your head gently tucked a bit in a neutral position, looking straight up, flat on the roller. Also make sure feet aren’t too far apart; keep them aligned with your shoulders. Finally, keep your pelvis neutral so that it’s not arched too far up, but also not flat.

The first exercise shown is the “ceiling punch”, where you raise your arms as far up as you can, fingertips pushing up, and then gently let your shoulder blades fall without moving your back or pelvis, repeating up and down in nice, slow, and controlled movements. This is great for building strength in your shoulder blade muscles.

The second exercise demonstrated is the “snow angel”, where you slide arms all the way up, stretching your pectoral muscles through the front of your arms and chest. Then, slowly, gently bring your arms back down. Repeat 2 to 5 times, holding each position for 15 to 30 seconds before switching. Those who are particularly stretchy or mobile should be careful if they decide to try this exercise and should try keeping hands up off the ground to avoid overstretching the front of their shoulders, which can cause pain or shoulder problems later on.

The third exercise involves scissoring arms independently, bringing them as far apart as possible, and then raising them both in a neutral position, and then in the other direction from before, repeating 5 to 10 times This will help practice moving your arms and shoulder blades independently and strengthen the scapular and shoulder muscles’ ability to keep your body’s position stable.

Finally, the chin tuck is demonstrated, tucking in and out your chin while keeping your spine neutral, which builds up the strength in your deep neck muscles.

We also show an extra challenge: tucking your chin and lifting your head at the same time while keeping your ribs and stomach down and neutral.

As always, we recommend checking with a physical therapist before trying these. You can find one, and learn more about shoulder exercises such as these, at our website, https://www.painsciencept.com/