One of the frequent recommendations trainers make is that if you have neck pain and/or headaches, you should stretch your levator scapulae.  But is this really a good idea?

If someone has a forward head posture, this may not be good advice.  The levator scapulae is responsible for producing a posterior shear force at the cervical spine.  The cervical spine (like the lumbar spine), has a naturally lordotic curve.  However, if this curve gets too pronounced (i.e. head forward posture), the levator scapulae is put in a position of excessive stretch and becomes unable to control this excessive anterior shear.

So while stretching the levator scapulae may result in an immediate relief of symptoms, by and large it’s making the problem worse.  Why would you want to stretch or lengthen a muscle that’s already excessively long?  It will only make things worse in the long run.

Instead, focus on the other contributing factors – generally, someone with excessive head forward posture is also extremely kyphotic.  It would go a lot further to work on their thoracic spine mobility/alignment, and follow that up with strengthening of the upper back musculature.  This may include a serious shift in regards to your program design as well.

While stretching the levator scaps can help resolve issues in some cases, it may exacerbate it in others.  Good luck!

Stay strong

MR