{"id":655871,"date":"2026-05-07T16:29:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/655871\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T16:29:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:29:29","slug":"if-you-have-neck-or-shoulder-pain-a-pilates-instructor-recommends-these-three-underrated-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/655871\/","title":{"rendered":"If you have neck or shoulder pain, a Pilates instructor recommends these three underrated exercises"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you someone who is constantly suffering from a tight neck or sore shoulders? Stretching or a massage isn’t necessarily the solution, according to this Pilates instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to encourage a stronger focus on improving neck, shoulder, and upper back mobility and strength,\u201d says Helen O\u2019Leary, Pilates instructor at Complete Pilates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Leary thinks people often forget about the importance of strengthening their upper body to reduce discomfort, particularly if it\u2019s caused by bad posture in people who spend too long sitting down.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is that it doesn\u2019t require a complete overhaul of your routine. Incorporating a few simple, targeted movements throughout the working day can make a meaningful difference in reducing the pain and stiffness associated with prolonged sitting,\u201d O\u2019Leary adds.<\/p>\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Below, she\u2019s shared three underrated moves that will help mobilise your upper body and reduce discomfort.<\/p>\n

1. Cat-cow<\/p>\n

How to do a Pilates Cat Cow – YouTube
\n\"How<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1 Reps: 5-10<\/p>\n

Get on your hands and knees, with your knees hip-width apart positioned over your knees and your shoulders above your wrists.Shift your weight back so that 70% is in your lower body and 30% in your arms.Press your hands into the floor so your back doesn\u2019t collapse between your shoulder blades.Slowly tuck your tailbone under to round your lower back, then continue rounding your spine up to your upper back, gently lowering your head to look towards your knees.Then lift your tailbone, carefully arching your back, finally lifting your head to look towards the top of your exercise mat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exercise is so simple that it\u2019s easy to ignore, but this really is a fantastic way to take your whole spine through its full range of motion, and nearly everyone can do it,\u201d says O\u2019Leary.<\/p>\n

2. Thread the needle<\/p>\n

How to do Pilates exercises: thread the needle – YouTube
\n\"How<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1 Reps: 5 each side<\/p>\n

Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Get on your hands and knees, with your knees hip-width apart, positioned over your knees and your shoulders above your wrists.Shift your weight back so that 70% is in your lower body and 30% in your arms.Move your right hand between your left hand and left knee, turning your torso to the left.When you can\u2019t reach any further, bend your left elbow and lower your right shoulder to the floor.Reverse the movements back to your hands and knees, but sweep your right arm above you, turning your torso to the right.Return your right hand to the floor.Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cThread the needle can be done after you loosen up with the cat-cow, this adds a rotational component to the exercise, which really helps get the small spinal joints moving,\u201d O\u2019Learys explains.<\/p>\n

3. Dart<\/p>\n

How to do Pilates Exercises: Dart – YouTube
\n\"How<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1 Reps: 10<\/p>\n

Lie on your stomach, with your arms resting by your sides.Lift your head just off the floor, keeping the back of the neck extended, and your chin tucked, as if to give yourself a double chin.Gently press your pubic bone into the floor, to give you a sense that you are opening the front of the hips.Reach your fingertips down towards your feet, as if to make your arms longer.Inhale, and start to lift your chest and shoulders, opening the front of your chest.Allow your arms to raise off the floor, but keep them in line with your body. The bottom of your ribs should stay in contact with the floor. Lift your gaze gently.Exhale as you slowly lower.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be easy to overlook exercises that strengthen your back. A lot of workout style exercises focus much more on the abs, since this is the part of the body that people can see,\u201d O\u2019Leary says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut gently strengthening your back muscles helps to improve your ability to sustain an upright posture when you are sitting all day, and also helps to lessen the strain which leads to pain and stiffness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you someone who is constantly suffering from a tight neck or sore shoulders? Stretching or a massage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,63,538,137],"class_list":["post-655871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}