One of the most frequent questions I get asked is 'Why does my neck hurt when I do curl ups?' Well, we get pain and discomfort because we've either lifted the head and chest too high, or not high enough! This is of course a very simplistic reply that isn't an answer at all because it only highlights What's happening, not Why - and I want to reassure you straight away that this is not necessarily because of 'a weak core'.
In some cases using correct technique and head/neck placement takes away the pain immediately, but there can of course be underlying conditions like e.g. a bulging disc, that makes curl ups inappropriate in the first place but also painful. Let's just assume that technique is as good as it can get and there are no underlying conditions, then the answer can lie with the shape of your spine. You simply might not be built for curl ups!
The spine has 4 natural curves that determine our natural structural alignment, and if one or several of them curves more/less, our natural alignment could create postures like examples A or B in the picture.
If your spine and muscles hold you in a posture similar to A, your head and neck are in a forward position, the upper and mid back are already curved, limiting how far you can lift. To get a higher lift, the chin sometimes squeezes down towards the chest or pushes forward trying to lift your back from the floor, causing neck strain and pain.
If your spine and muscles hold you in a similar shape to B, it's likely that the upper and mid back are quite stiff, again limiting how far the head and chest can lift. When the head isn't lifted high enough, the thin neck is left holding the 5kg (!) head in the air - fighting gravity, causing neck strain and pain.
We can't change the structure of our spine, and there's only so much we can do to enable movement with our Pilates bag of tricks (e.g. using a magic circle to support the head and neck), so instead of beating ourselves up that we 'can't' do a curl up, or suffer through them for the sake of 'a strong core', let's perfect some similar movements that we can do, and these might even surprise you:
Cat - Yes, it's the same move done in a different position, and correctly done it activates the abdominals!
Roll downs or quarter roll downs - Yes, it's the same move done in a different position, and correctly done it activates the abdominals!
No pain - all gain!
Comentários