Scalene Stretch
The muscles along the front and side of the neck get short from forward-head posture and shallow breathing. Anchoring the shoulder and tilting the head away opens them without any jaw clenching. Keep this one gentle; the neck responds best to light, patient tension.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Body part
- Neck
- Type
- Stretching
- Browse by muscle
- Sternocleidomastoid
- Target
- Sternocleidomastoid
- Secondary
- Trapezius Upper
How to do it
- 1
Sit or stand tall and reach one hand down to hold the edge of your chair or your thigh, gently drawing that shoulder down.
- 2
Tilt your head to the opposite side, bringing your ear toward the raised shoulder.
- 3
Slowly turn your chin up toward the ceiling until you feel a stretch down the front and side of the anchored-shoulder side.
- 4
Keep the jaw loose and breathe slowly, holding for 20 to 30 seconds.
- 5
Return to center and switch sides.
Tips
- Let the shoulder anchor do the work; do not yank the head with your other hand.
- Keep the teeth slightly apart and the tongue relaxed so the jaw stays out of it.
- Move into the rotation slowly and stop at a mild, comfortable stretch.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The chin turns up but the head also slides forward, so the neck extends from the bottom instead of rotating at the top and the front of the neck never lengthens; stack the head back over the ribs first.
- Breath stays high and shallow through the hold, which keeps these muscles working as breathing muscles while you ask them to lengthen; send each breath low into the belly instead.
- Rotation gets added before the tilt is set, so the head finishes turned rather than tilted and the pull slides onto the back of the neck; take the ear over first, then turn the chin up.
- Shoulders creep up toward the ears between sides, so the second side starts from a worse position than the first; drop both shoulders and reset before you switch.
- Tingling or pins and needles down the arm gets read as a sign the stretch is working, when it is the signal to come out of it; the nerves to the arm pass between these muscles.
Frequently asked
- How long should you hold the scalene stretch, and how often?
- Two holds of 20 to 30 seconds on each side, and it is fine to return to it two or three times a day. Count breaths rather than seconds: five or six slow ones is about right, and the slow exhale is what lets the front of the neck settle. Progress by keeping the anchored shoulder lower, not by turning the chin further, since this corner of the neck gives up range to patience rather than force. Give the tighter side one extra round and leave it there.
- How do you make the scalene stretch gentler or more effective?
- Gentler: skip the chin rotation and only tilt the ear toward the far shoulder, let the arm hang instead of anchoring it, and hold for 10 seconds. More effective: hook the fingers under the edge of the seat so the shoulder cannot rise, exhale fully at the end position, and let the chin lift a few degrees more on each exhale rather than all at once. With nothing to hold, sit on your hand, or hold the hem of your pants, to keep the shoulder down.
- What is the scalene stretch good for, and when should you leave it alone?
- It addresses the front and side of the neck, which shorten with a forward head position, shallow breathing, and days spent carrying a bag on one shoulder, and it can free up neck rotation and rib movement at the same time. Leave it alone and get advice if you feel tingling, numbness, or weakness in the arm or hand, if a recent neck injury is involved, or if tipping the head back brings on dizziness or any change in vision. Keep the chin rotation small in every case; this is the most provocative position the neck has.
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