4 Exercises to Avoid if You Have Neck Arthritis

Neck arthritis, or cervical spondylosis, can occur over time from aging or injury, causing cartilage breakdown between the vertebrae. Symptoms may include grinding or popping in the neck, headaches, and in severe cases, cervical radiculopathy. 

Exercising can help relieve arthritis pain by strengthening muscles that support joints and increasing blood flow to improve mobility and decrease joint stiffness. While exercise is one of the best options to manage pain and other symptoms of arthritis, certain exercises can cause increased inflammation and irritation when the joints are strained. 

This article will discuss which exercises to avoid if you have neck arthritis and which exercise alternatives to try instead.

Sit-ups and Crunches

Both sit-ups and crunches can be problematic for people with neck arthritis because each exercise can put excess strain on the neck.

One of the most common ways to perform a sit-up is by locking the hands behind the neck to help pull the head forward. This position can easily strain the neck, especially if you are not engaging your abdominal muscles enough.

Although it helps to cross the arms over the chest instead, this position, too, can strain the neck. Without the support of your hands behind your head, the neck muscles have to work harder to lift the head from the floor.

Thus, if your goal is to strengthen your abdominals without straining your neck, it's best to avoid sit-ups or crunches.

Exercise Alternative: Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is an alternative exercise to activate the rectus abdominis muscle without placing extra strain on the neck. 

A reverse crunch accomplishes the same motion of spinal flexion, or forward bending, and activation of the rectus abdominis muscles. However, the motion occurs from the bottom up rather than from the top down, avoiding strain on the neck.

To perform a reverse crunch: 

1. Start in the same position as a sit-up or crunch by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. You can place a pillow under your head to support your neck. 
2. Rather than bending forward to bring your body closer to your legs, contract your abdominal muscles to lift your feet off the floor and bring your knees closer to your chest. 
3. Your head, neck, shoulder blades, and back will stay in contact with the ground, but your hips will slightly lift off the ground as your knees come closer to your chest.

Military Press

The military press, or overhead press, involves pushing a weighted barbell overhead from shoulder height.

Overhead pressing movements like this can be problematic for people with neck arthritis because extension of the head backward is often needed in order to clear the weight past the shoulders and up overhead. Without moving the head and neck back, your face or chin will hit the weight with movement of the barbell straight up. 

Whether using a barbell or dumbbells, the added load of pushing weight above the head also places extra strain on the neck and surrounding muscles. This is especially stressful on the upper trapezius, which is forced to stabilize the neck under increased pressure.

Exercise Alternative: Front Shoulder Raise

An alternative exercise to strengthen the shoulders and increase activation of the anterior deltoid muscle that decreases strain on the neck is the front shoulder raise. 

To perform a front shoulder raise:

• Hold a pair of light dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing toward the sides of your body.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arms straight out in front of you.
• Bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height, hold for one second, then slowly lower them back to the starting position.

Your elbows should stay extended the entire time while performing this exercise.

Bridges

While glute bridges are excellent for strengthening the glutes, they can place increased strain on your neck into forward bending as you lift your hips up. This is especially true if performed incorrectly by overarching the low back.

Exercise Alternative: Prone Hip Extension

An alternative exercise to activate the glute muscles that places less strain on the neck is prone hip extension.

To perform a prone hip extension:

• Lie down in the prone position, or flat on your stomach.
• Squeeze your glute muscles, tighten your quadriceps in the front of your thigh to keep your knee locked out straight, and lift one leg up toward the ceiling.
• Hold your leg at the top position for one second, then lower your leg slowly.

Lat Pull-Downs

Lat pull-downs are one of the main exercises to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscle, the largest muscle of the back that extends across the shoulders behind the body.

Like the military press, lat pull-downs can be problematic for people with neck arthritis. This move requires you to extend your head and neck backward to allow a path for the bar to travel up and down in front of your body.

Lat pull-downs should never be performed behind the head. Pulling the bar behind your head increases neck flexion, straining the neck as well as the shoulder joints.

Exercise Alternative: Lat Pull-Downs with Bands or Cables

To avoid straining your neck with a lat pull-down, this exercise can be performed with a resistance band anchored at a high point or with individual cable column attachments held in each hand.

By using a band or individual cables, you can train your latissimus dorsi muscle without straining your neck forward or backward to accommodate a bar.

To perform a lat pull-down with a band:

• Find a strong, secure anchor for attaching the resistance band above your hood, such as a hook at the top of a closed door. Loop the resistance band around it.
• Hold on to the free ends of the resistance band.
• Pull the ends towards your chest, adjusting your distance from the anchor to create more or less resistance as needed.

Additional Treatment Options for Arthritis in the Neck

The right exercises done properly can be extremely beneficial for your neck. They are an important part of the puzzle for managing arthritic neck pain, but they're not the only ones.

Other treatment options for arthritis in the neck to consider include:

• Rest: Allow yourself to rest when neck pain flares up.
• Physical therapy: Pain and stiffness restrict neck mobility and can interfere with your daily activities. Physical therapy provides targeted exercises that help loosen the neck muscles, improving joint movement and flexibility.
• Neck bracing: A cervical collar is a type of neck brace that restricts neck movements, giving your neck time to heal from inflammation. Neck braces can be particularly helpful during arthritic flares.
• Anti-inflammatories: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen can be used to relieve pain and inflammation. NSAIDs should not be used continuously for more than three days straight, unless otherwise directed by your healthcare provider.
• Hot and cold therapy: Apply a cold compress to your neck to relieve inflammation and a warm compress to loosen the muscles. Apply each for 20 minutes at a time, as often as you need. Never apply ice directly to your skin.

These non-invasive treatment options can either be used alone or jointly.

Summary

Stretching the muscles of the neck and performing strengthening exercises to provide support and stability can help relieve arthritis pain. Not all exercises are created equal, though. Some can actually cause more harm than good due to the increased strain they place on the cervical spine and surrounding muscles.

If you continue to experience ongoing pain from neck arthritis or if it gets worse with certain exercises, reach out to a physical therapist. A therapist can help correct your posture and form with specific exercises. They can also tell you which exercises to avoid to prevent neck pain.