Tanner instructed me to perform the below five stretches every day in order to alleviate my neck pain – even twice a day for extra brownie points.

For one week, I did each of the five stretches every day morning and evening to see if my nagging pain would go away and after day one, I actually started looking forward to these daily stretches. Although they felt slightly uncomfortable, it was the kind of discomfort you feel during a sports massage and which leaves you feeling totally loose and limber afterwards. Each stretch sent a tingle down my back and into my head as the tension began to ease and my posture began to correct itself.

What I didn’t realise was how stiff my adjoining muscles had become – my chest, shoulders, and even my forearms had seized up and were contributing to my neck pain. With every stretch, I could feel them pull and loosen, relieving my neck and leaving my upper body feeling like I’d just spent an hour on the massage table.

It’s only been a week, but with a daily plan in place, I’m already more aware of my posture and the growing range of movement I have. I’m going to try to maintain this routine going forward to prevent my neck from seizing up again.

Here’s the stretching routine that Tanner prescribed to me:

5 back and chest stretches for avoiding and treating neck pain