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Cervical Radiculopathy Exercise

Important Note:
These exercises were designed as a place to start to address your symptoms. These exercises should not be performed or continued if they cause or increase your pain in any way. Using these exercises for self-management of your symptoms does not replace the value of being assessed by a Health Professional.

1. Deep neck flexors

SETS: 3 REPS: 5 FREQ: AM + PM HOLD: 5
-Lie on your back, knee bent, with a small towel rolled under the hollow of your neck.
-Place your hand across the front of your neck just above your collarbone to monitor unwanted activity of the surface muscles.
-Keep the neck still and only flex the head as if you were nodding, like making a double chin
-Go as far as you can go without the surface muscles tightening under your fingers.
-Hold for 5 seconds
-Relax and repeat

2. Median nerve slider

SETS: 1 REPS: 10 FREQ: AM+NOON+P
-Stand with your palms touching.
-Move your hands back and forth across the midline of your body in any pattern you would like, just like a bee wandering around.
-Be sure to move up and down, side to side. Make sure that you bend back and forth at the wrists.
-Back and forth counts as 1 repetition

3. Elastic retraction

SETS: 3 REPS: 8-1 FREQ: ONCE DAILY HOLD: 2S

-Hold the tubing handles in each hand, your forearm parallel to the ground.
-With the elbows slightly in front of your trunk and palms facing each other, squeeze the shoulder blades together against the pull of the band.
-Return and repeat.
-Do not poke the chin or arch your lower back while you do the exercise.

Images provided by Physiotec