CEVICAL-DORSAL EXERCISES

Cases studies Aims of the exercises Rules for performance of exercises Abdominal exercises Dorsal-lumbar exercises Cervical-dorsal exercises Angled bending of arms in a tanding and and leaning position Neck extension against resistance Neck bending against resistance Inclination of neck against resistance Shoulder raising Shoulder rolls  Neck flexion with pulley  Neck extension with pulley  Neck bending with pulley Neck flexion-lying down Neck extensions from lying face down Neck bending lying on your side Exercises for glutei and quadriceps Dorsal-lumbar stretches Cervical-dorsal stretches Ischio-tibial stretches

Shoulder rolls

Start from a standing position, with your arms hanging straight by your side, holding a weight or strap in each hand.

The weight should be identical in each hand and should allow you to perform 4 series of 12 repetitions. Be careful with the weight you use; while your muscles may be able to do the exercise, you could be stiff afterwards, and stiffness in the muscles used in this exercise could cause more intense and lasting pain than in other areas. Therefore, and though you may think you can handle more weight, begin with low weights (for example, 0,5 or 1 kg. in each hand) and increase gradually over time as your muscle strength and resistance improve.

From the starting position, make a circle very slowly with your shoulders. The movement should be perfectly symmetrical (move both shoulders in the same direction at the same time), slow and complete (move your shoulders as high and as low, as far forward and as far back as your joint allows; if you cannot do this, use less weight). During the exercise, be sure to keep your head still (there is a tendency to move it in the opposite direction as the shoulders) and your elbows loose (that is, lift the weight with your shoulders, not with your arms).

In the first and third series, roll your shoulders forward as you raise them and backwards as you lower them (a). In the second and fourth series, do the reverse; roll your shoulders backwards as you raise them and forwards as you lower them (b).