Sternocleidomastoid Stretch
Seated (chair) · Front of the neck (sternocleidomastoid)
A self-stretch for the front of the neck (sternocleidomastoid). Support your body and stay within a comfortable range.
How longNew to it: start with 10–20 seconds, once or twice. Used to it: 20–30 seconds, 2–4 times, about 60 seconds in total per stretch.How long and how many →
Position and focus
Seated (chair) · Front of the neck (sternocleidomastoid)
Starting position
Sit on a chair and place both hands, one over the other, just below the right collarbone. Sit tall and look ahead.
Movement phases
1. Hold the collarbone
Press the right collarbone down lightly with your hands and relax the shoulder.
2. Lift and tilt
Lift the chin a little and tilt the head to the left.
3. Hold the position
Stop where you feel a gentle stretch in the front of the right side of the neck, and breathe easily.
4. Return to centre
Slowly bring the head back upright and release the hands.
What to check yourself
Check that you are not arching the neck back too far and that the shoulder under your hands stays down.
Adjust the stretch
Easier: Only lift the chin a little, without tilting the head.
Deeper: With the chin up and the head tilted, turn the face slightly to the right.
Caution
Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, shortness of breath or anxiety. If you are receiving treatment, recovering from surgery or pregnant, check with your healthcare professional first. This includes tilting the head back. If you feel dizzy, your vision blurs or a hand goes numb, bring the head back to centre straight away.
These English notes describe a prototype model. The stretch, foam roller and resistance band lessons are being produced under the supervision of CoconeRu. Move, reviewed in stages. They are not medical advice or an individual exercise prescription.
References
This lesson was put together for this site. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.
About this page
It shows a typical way to do the movement. The 3D is a schematic model; it does not decide whether a lesson suits you, prescribe exercise or diagnose anything. Stop if you feel pain or discomfort.
Sources, supervision and revisions