Can Belly Breathing Reduce My Neck Pain?

The vast majority of people with neck pain have a limited ability to breathe correctly. People in pain tend to start using their neck and shoulder muscles to help with breathing and actually end up creating more pain and stiffness. The muscles in our neck and shoulders are accessory muscles and when we overly depend on them to breathe, it can cause undue compression and stress on joints in the neck and tend to throw us into postures that are not "the position of least stress".

What is the best way to breath to relax my neck and reduce neck pain?

Let Me See Your Belly Breathing (and watch your neck pain reduce)

The best way to break this cycle is to learn how to Belly Breathe. This is what is called diaphragmatic breathing. You might also hear this called 360 breathing. The diaphragm is a large dome shaped muscle inside our trunk that you can't easily touch. It is underneath the rib cage and when it contracts the chest cavity gets larger allowing the lungs to fill with oxygen. After all, oxygen is key. This is why you may have heard a lot of recommendations for belly breathing in various fitness or meditation classes. More effective influx of oxygen makes all systems function better. Learning belly breathing can immediately reduce spasm and tightness in muscles, increase calm, reduce anxiety and increase oxygen in the body.

One Way to Practice

Sitting in relaxed posture with back rest. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in through your nose trying to make the hand on your belly rise, while the hand on your chest remains still. Exhale gently. Repeat for 3-5 minutes twice a day to help reduce tension in your neck and body. Notice that your neck and upper chest muscles do not have to work and you can maintain a relaxed position when you can get your belly to move and not your upper hand.

Breathing has become a hot topic in the medicine, self care, fitness, performance.... well, all realms these days and for good reason. There are places you can go for guided breathing and breathwork. Once you take a deeper dive into the background of what is happening when we learn more effective ways to move oxygen, you'll see there is a fascinating progression of knowledge on this subject and its not stopping soon. Its amazing that simply focusing on your belly breathing can reduce your neck pain. Give it a try!

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About The Author

Meet Dr. Dawn, a dedicated doctor of physical therapy since 1995. She became an orthopedic specialist in 2000 with an Orthopedic Manual Therapy Certification and earned a Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy from Oakland University in 2016 demonstrating a strong commitment to lifelong learning. Dawn opened her own practice in 2020, offering concierge physical therapy services to the Metro Detroit area.

Dawn has extensive experience working with a diverse range of patients facing both orthopedic and neurological challenges, as well as high performing athletes. However she has a strong passion and vast knowledge for working on the spine. Her years of dedicated practice and advanced training have equipped her with remarkable skills in movement assessment and rehabilitation. She takes pride in guiding clients through all stages of recovery—from post-injury or surgery rehabilitation, to  adventure travel preparation and golf performance.

Dawn was a triple sport collegiate athlete competing in diving, sailing, and gymnastics. Post college, Dawn has participated in many athletic events: fitness competitions, triathlon and ironman competitions, open water swimming and backpacking. She has overcome many of her own injuries and setbacks, most recently a total knee replacement. She has applied  her expertise into her own recovery which enables her to relate to her clients in a unique and compassionate way.

Her passion is to spread the message of empowering people to live active lives and extend their living-well years to the max, through movement. Dawn walks the talk.