Once you have had your neck pain spasms and hyper-contractions addressed, you can now start stretching. While a number of neck and shoulder muscles will need to be stretched for a comprehensive recovery from your neck injury; one of the most fundamental—one which I give to every one of my patients that has neck or shoulder pain—is the pec stretch. The pectoralis major and minor are the two muscles that make up the chest. Although both will need stretching, the pec minor in particular can be problematic when short and tight. Because of its insertion point on the scapula (shoulder blade), a tight pec minor will roll the shoulders forward and the chin forward and out (anterior head carriage), which creates quite a strain on the neck.
Watch the video below to see the best pec stretch to relieve neck pain.
The pec major will also need stretching. Watch this video here (don’t be fooled by the title) to learn the best pectoralis major stretch to relieve neck pain.