Yoga guide
A stiff, tense neck and tight shoulders are common after long days at a desk, driving or a stressful week, and they usually settle. Yoga can help you keep them moving: in small trials it eased long-lasting neck pain a little, about as much as other exercise, and in office workers it did as well as stretching. Strengthening the muscles around your shoulder blades has the best evidence, so pair slow neck movement and stretches with simple strength work and slow breathing.
This guide covers what neck and shoulder tension is, why posture is a weaker cause than people think, what stress has to do with it, what the trials show, breaks and desk set-up, the poses to start with and the ones to leave out, slow neck movements step by step, and the classes to follow, with a 3D demo of every move. If your neck pain comes with arm symptoms, a severe headache or chest pain, go to the warning signs first; our yoga for neck pain and yoga for shoulders guides go deeper.
NHS inform: "Most problems should have improved within 8 weeks." The NHS says shoulder pain should start feeling better within 2 weeks. The muscles from the neck to the top of the shoulder are where most people feel it.
Against usual care or self-care, yoga eased disability from long-lasting neck pain in 3 trials (188 people), and pain and disability in 10 trials (686 people), in the short term. The best overview rates the certainty low for pain and moderate for disability, short term only, with no long-term comparisons. Against other exercise there was no clear difference, and reviews of 40 and 51 trials found no single best type.
A year of neck strength training cut pain and disability in 180 women office workers, and 2 minutes a day with a band cut neck and shoulder pain by 1.4 points out of 10 in 10 weeks. In office workers, yoga did about as well as stretching. So pair the stretches with strength work.
Sitting posture wasn't linked with neck pain in 1,108 teenagers, upright sitting went with more persistent pain in young women, and the neck angle while texting didn't predict new neck pain over a year, while poor sleep and low activity did. One cohort of office workers points the other way. Stretching didn't change posture across 23 trials; strengthening did.
In office workers, feeling medium or high muscle tension predicted new neck pain, but measured muscle activity and pain are only loosely linked. Relaxation eased neck pain against no treatment, but no more than physiotherapy. Slow breathing belongs in a class for calm, not as a cure.
In headstand the head carried up to 40% to 48% of body weight, and headstand and shoulder stand are the poses most often named in reports of harm. Use slow turns, tilts and nods one at a time, as NHS inform's exercises do; we found no study of fast neck rolls either way. Neck pain with arm weakness, clumsy hands or a sudden severe headache needs urgent help; the warning signs below have the details.
Stiffness or aching in the band of muscle from the back of the neck to the top of the shoulder (the upper trapezius and, beneath it, the levator scapulae) and around the shoulder blades, often after long desk days, driving, a bad night or a stressful week. The NHS lists sitting at a desk for a long time among the common causes of neck pain. NHS inform: "Neck problems are rarely caused by any serious disease or damage." Our neck and shoulder pain guide maps where the pain goes.
Mental arithmetic and colour-word tests raised trapezius muscle activity in 62 women. In 214 office workers followed for a year, more sitting hours, job strain and stress raised the risk of neck pain, and more neck movement, endurance and physical activity lowered it.
The NHS says to "stay active and gently move your shoulder" and to "try shoulder exercises for 6 to 8 weeks to stop pain returning", but "do not make up your own strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment". A painful shoulder has its own guide: our yoga for shoulder pain guide.
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In the Iyengar trials for neck pain, one 90-minute class a week for 9 weeks; in office workers, one 30-minute hatha class a week for 4 weeks with home practice. NHS inform's neck exercises are slow turns and tilts held for 2 seconds, and "It’s better to do small amounts throughout the day."
Against usual care, 3 trials (188 people) found a large short-term effect on neck disability, and "In the two studies that included safety data, no serious adverse events occurred." A review of 10 trials (686 people) found similar short-term effects on pain and disability, and its authors "draw a very cautious conclusion". The best overview rates the evidence low certainty for pain and moderate for disability, and "Long-term effects could not be analyzed due to a lack of studies."
In 77 adults, 9 weekly Iyengar classes cut pain at rest far more than self-care exercise, though 23 dropped out of follow-up; in 51 adults, yoga beat a home exercise manual. A year later, pain was lower in people who kept practising, in a follow-up with no comparison group. In 89 adults with neck pain and stress, seated meditation eased pain at rest but not disability. These trials are small, single-centre, unblinded and mostly from one German group, and we found no Cochrane review of yoga for neck pain.
The best overview: "Compared to exercising controls, there was no effect". Across 40 trials, "There is not one superior type of physical exercise for people with chronic non-specific neck pain.", on very low quality evidence, and in 51 trials (4,140 people), mind-body exercise, strength training and flexibility training had almost identical effects on disability. Rankings that put yoga first rely on small trials and indirect comparisons.
Yoga matched Pilates in 56 people in a trial that wasn't fully randomised, and matched Pilates and isometric neck exercise in another 56.
The Cochrane exercise review found moderate-quality evidence for strengthening "focused on the neck, shoulder and shoulder blade region", and "when only stretching exercises were used no beneficial effects may be expected". The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: "In most cases, it doesn’t appear to matter what type of exercise you do, as long as you remain active."
In 180 women office workers, a year of neck strength or endurance training cut pain and disability against advice to stretch and do aerobic exercise; the authors found "stretching and aerobic exercising alone proved to be a much less effective form of training than strength training". In 48 women with trapezius pain at computer jobs, 10 weeks of specific strengthening cut worst pain by about 79%. In 198 workers, "as little as 2 minutes of daily progressive resistance training for 10 weeks" eased pain.
Exercise roughly halved new episodes of neck pain over a year across 5 trials, and reviews of office workers and of short exercise bouts at work found benefits on low-certainty evidence, with likely publication bias.
In 393 women office workers at five centres, lighter dynamic training and relaxation training did no better than ordinary activity for neck pain over a year. How hard and how specific the training is seems to matter.
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In 150 office workers with mild to moderate neck or shoulder pain, a weekly 30-minute hatha class for 4 weeks with home practice was "tentatively found to be non-inferior to stretching exercise", though only 130 were analysed; muscle pain and tension were the commonest side effects. A Thai trial found yoga and stretching equal, but its instructors were also the assessors, and an Indian trial analysed only 118 of 291 people.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE): "Take short breaks often, rather than longer ones less often. For example 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours." Its set-up advice includes "Top of screen level with eyes, about an arm's length away". But in trials, extra breaks "may make little to no difference to the new onset of musculoskeletal neck pain", and workstation changes on their own made little difference to existing complaints. Take the breaks for comfort.
In 1,108 17-year-olds, "There was no significant difference in the odds of neck pain or headache across the clusters." of sitting posture. At 22, posture didn't predict persistent neck pain in men, and in women relaxed postures went with less pain than upright sitting, so "The practice of generic public health messages to sit up straight to prevent neck pain needs rethinking."
In 457 adults followed for a year, the neck angle while texting didn't raise the odds of neck pain, while poor sleep and too little activity did.
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Adults with neck pain have slightly more forward head posture, about 3 degrees, in studies that measured both at one time and so can't show which came first.
In 214 office workers followed for a year, a neutral upper-back posture went with less risk of neck pain, and heavy smartphone use was linked with neck pain in 7 studies that looked back in time. So posture isn't irrelevant; it's a weak cause on most evidence.
Across 23 trials, stretching didn't change spinal posture, while strengthening did. In people with neck pain, exercise shifted the head angle about 3 degrees alongside less pain, without showing one caused the other. Move often and strengthen rather than chase a perfect posture.
In 62 women, "Each of the two mental stress tests induced a significant increase in EMG activity." (EMG, or electromyography, measures the electrical activity of a muscle.)
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In an hour of stressful work, neck and shoulder pain developed whatever the muscle activity: "the mean level of the EMG response is of little consequence for pain development during stressful conditions". In office workers, "pain provoked by psychosocial stress factors may not be mediated through increased muscle activity".
Across prospective studies of office workers, feeling medium or high muscle tension predicted new neck pain, as did a keyboard close to the body, little variety in tasks and low satisfaction with the workplace.
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Across 16 trials, relaxation techniques eased long-lasting neck pain against no treatment, but no more than physiotherapy, and an app-based relaxation programme didn't help 220 people. Slow breathing and rest have a place for calm and comfort.
In 708 people with rotator cuff pain, one physiotherapy advice session with a home exercise programme did as well as up to six sessions of progressive exercise.
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For rotator cuff pain, exercise wasn't clearly better than passive treatments in the short term, on low-certainty evidence, and programmes that train movement control were slightly better than general exercise for disability.
Yoga brought small to medium gains in shoulder rotation in 444 women after breast cancer surgery, with no difference in pain, and added nothing to usual treatment for frozen shoulder in 72 people. A review found "Limited evidence" for shoulder mobility overall.
Across 94 trials, yoga was about as safe as usual care and other exercise. In observational studies, serious events were 1.9% and "most were mild and transient". US emergency department data didn't count neck injuries separately.
In 76 published cases, "headstand, shoulder stand, lotus position, and forceful breathing were the most common yoga postures and breathing techniques cited". A 2026 review found headstand behind 15 of 84 events, and "Fifty-four percent had pre-existing vulnerabilities." In headstand the head carried up to 40% to 48% of body weight, and a 63-year-old man with neck arthritis had spinal cord compression and two torn neck arteries after a yoga session. These are case reports, with no rates, and the first review's authors add: "Therefore, there is no need to discourage yoga practice for healthy people."
We found no study testing whether fast neck rolls or full head circles harm or help (213 records, almost all a vertigo test). NHS inform's exercises are slow single-direction movements: "Hold for 2 seconds then return to where you started."
From NHS inform's exercises for neck problems. The 3D demo shows neck circles; with a sore neck, do the turns, tilts and nods separately, as the move's page advises.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Neck CARs (controlled articular rotations)
Our editorial starting point, from NHS inform's neck exercises, the HSE's advice on breaks and a trial of band training. Doses are starting points, not prescriptions.
Our editorial starting point:
Most of the trials ran for 4 to 10 weeks. If your neck pain hasn't eased after a few weeks, see a GP or physiotherapist.
Slow breathing 2 minutes, sitting tall, in for about 4 and out for about 6, with no holds (our yoga for shoulders class). Breath reach: "5 breaths, exhale longer than inhale" (the move page's dose), arms only as high as is comfortable.
Neck CARs as separate movements: 3 slow nods, 3 turns and 3 tilts each way, each held 2 seconds; chin tuck 5 holds of 5 seconds; lying chin tuck 5 holds of up to 10 seconds (our yoga for neck pain class). Isometric neck holds, optional, 3 to 5 holds of 5 to 10 seconds each direction at a light effort (our neck and shoulder strength routine). Dizziness, light-headedness or tingling into an arm are stop signs, as the neck CARs page says.
Shoulder rolls 10 slow circles each way (our yoga for neck pain class). Upper trap release: "2 slow holds of 30 seconds per side" (the move page's dose), letting the weight of your head do the stretch. Levator scapulae stretch: "Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side" (from the move page's dose). Side neck stretch: "Hold 5 to 10 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side" (from the move page's dose). Gentle stretches feel good, but on their own they may not ease long-lasting pain.
Locust 3 holds of 3 breaths, arms by your sides, eyes on the floor (our yoga for neck pain class). Prone Y-T-W raises 1 round of 8 of each letter; wall angel 8 slow slides, a small range is fine; band row 2 sets of 10 to 15; band external rotation 2 sets of 10 to 15, light band, elbow at your side (our yoga for shoulders class). Band lateral raise 2 sets of 10 to 15 (our neck and shoulder strength routine). Seated upper-back lift: "3 to 5 repetitions, each held 3 to 5 seconds" (from the move page's dose), good at a desk.
3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWall angelBeginner · A wall
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoBand lateral raiseBeginner · A band
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or boxCat-cow: "8 waves, slower than feels natural" (the move page's dose), head in line with your spine. Thread the needle 30 seconds each side, the side of your head on a folded towel (our yoga for neck pain class). Thoracic rotation: "6 rotations per side, moving with the breath" (the move page's dose). Side-lying open book: "8 to 10 slow openings each side, pausing 2 seconds at the end" (from the move page's dose), a cushion under your head.
Doorway chest opener 30 seconds each side, elbow at shoulder height (our stress relief workout); ease off for tingling. Chair chest and shoulder stretch: "Hold 15 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times" (from the move page's dose), good at a desk.
Mountain pose 5 slow breaths, chin level, shoulders soft; warrior II 3 breaths each side, looking straight ahead if turning to the front hand is uncomfortable; triangle 3 breaths each side, looking down or ahead, not up (our yoga for neck pain class).
Child's pose 1 minute, forehead on a block or stacked fists; corpse pose 3 minutes, a folded towel under your head (our yoga for neck pain class).
Leave them out: they load the head and neck, up to 40% to 48% of body weight in headstand, and lead the case reports of harm.
Leave out fish, camel, wheel and a deep upward-facing dog while your neck is sore, as our yoga for neck pain guide does.
Do separate, slow nods, turns and tilts instead. No study supports fast rolls either way, and NHS inform's exercises move in one direction at a time.
Let its weight do the work. The levator scapulae stretch's page says: "The hand is a guide, not a winch; hauling the head down strains the neck it is meant to relieve."
Keep downward-facing dog and head-hanging folds brief, or put your hands on a chair, as downward-facing dog's caution says. Head-down poses raised eye pressure within a minute in a small study.
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Hold a strap in cow face arms, or leave cow face and eagle arms out while a shoulder is sore, as our yoga for shoulders guide says.
The yoga for neck pain class is floor-based, with the head supported or level; the yoga for shoulders class works the shoulder blades and rotator cuff; the stretches and desk routines fit a working day; the strength routine isn't yoga but trains the part with the best evidence. The neck and shoulder stretches routine includes neck circles: make them separate nods, turns and tilts if your neck is sore.
Twenty minutes of slow breathing, small neck movements, poses that keep your head supported or level, and upper-back strength, with nothing that loads the neck.
20 minBeginner14 movesStepA 25-minute yoga class for your shoulders: shoulder-blade lifts, band work for the rotator cuff, plank and downward dog built up in steps, and reach overhead.
25 minBeginner17 movesWall, bandEight gentle neck and shoulder stretches for desk stiffness, done standing or seated in ten minutes.
10 minBeginner8 movesWallDeep neck holds and shoulder-blade strength in under 20 minutes: one of the best-supported kinds of exercise for a stiff, sore neck.
18 minBeginner11 movesBand, anchor pointTen minutes of yoga at your desk, no mat needed: slow breathing, neck, shoulder, wrist and spine moves in your chair, then standing poses with a hand on the desk.
10 minBeginner13 movesBench or box, wallA 3-minute standing break to repeat every 30 to 60 minutes at your desk: sit-to-stands, calf raises, marching, an upper-back turn and chin tucks.
3 minBeginner5 movesBench or box, wallKnotted neck and shoulders: a minute of self-pressure, two gentle stretches, then the shoulder-blade strength work that eased neck pain in trials.
15 minBeginner8 movesFoam roller, bandA 12-minute reset for stressful days: 4 minutes of brisk movement, 3 minutes to loosen your neck, shoulders and back, then 5 minutes of slow breathing.
12 minBeginner10 movesBench or box, wallTwenty-five minutes of back-strengthening yoga for posture: arm and leg reaches, face-down back lifts and standing poses with the arms raised.
25 minBeginner15 movesNo equipmentA 12-minute routine for a stiff upper back and rounded shoulders: chin tucks, wall angels, Y-T-W raises and open books.
12 minBeginner8 movesFoam roller, wallA 25-minute yoga class that opens the chest and shoulders, moves the upper back, strengthens it with back lifts and ends in supported rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesWall, firm cushionA 20-minute yoga sequence for shoulder pain: gentle movement, standing poses with the arms low, shoulder strength, and weight on the arms built up from the wall.
20 minBeginner16 movesBench or box, wallA 20-minute Pilates class for neck pain: head-supported core work, upper-back and shoulder-blade strength, gentle neck movement and slow breathing.
20 minBeginner15 movesWallA calm 20-minute practice for between headaches: slow breathing, gentle neck and shoulder movement, a few easy poses and a long rest, with no heat and no breath holds.
20 minBeginner14 movesFirm cushionA 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesBench or boxA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentLeave out headstand, shoulder stand, plough and poses that drop the head back, as our yoga for neck pain guide says, and do separate nods, turns and tilts rather than circles.
Start with our yoga for shoulder pain guide's plan and class, and see a physiotherapist if it isn't settling (our suggestion).
Breathe out through every effort, especially with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, a hernia, or in pregnancy (our guide to getting stronger). With glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure, skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or supported.
Arm or shoulder pain with chest symptoms is a 999 call, not a stretch: see the warning signs below.
Keep stretches mild and in the middle of your range, and favour the strengthening moves: the NHS says not to overextend your joints just because you can.
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These are the site's lines from our yoga for neck pain, yoga for shoulders and neck pain guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Get help from NHS 111: pain or tightness in your chest, neck, shoulders, jaw or arms that comes and goes, often brought on by exercise, stress, emotion or cold and easing after a few minutes' rest. It can be angina, a sign of a heart problem. If you've been diagnosed with angina, get help from NHS 111 too if it feels worse than before, is happening more often, lasts longer or happens when you're resting.
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Contact a GP immediately, go to 111.nhs.uk or call NHS 111: a new or frequent headache that usually comes on suddenly (your scalp may also feel sore or tender), pain in the jaw muscles or tongue when eating or talking, or problems with your sight, such as double vision or loss of vision in 1 or both eyes. With pain and stiffness around the shoulders, these can be signs of temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis), which up to 1 in 5 people with polymyalgia rheumatica develop. If you suddenly can't see from 1 or both eyes, call 999 or go to A&E.
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NHS inform's neck exercise advice: rate your pain from 0 to 10. During exercise, 0 to 3 is minimal and 4 to 5 is acceptable; 6 or more is too much. If it goes higher, do fewer repetitions, move more slowly or rest longer between movements.
Exercise should not make your neck worse overall. Soreness from a new exercise should ease quickly, and your neck should be no worse the next morning. Stop any exercise that makes your symptoms worse or causes new pain.
Arm symptoms are the exception, as in our neck pain guides. If a pose sends pain, tingling or numbness further down your arm, or the extra symptoms last more than an hour afterwards, make the movement smaller or leave it out.
Stop and get checked for dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble swallowing or any of the warning signs above.
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If a pose that tips your head back or turns it hard brings on dizziness, blurred vision or a sudden headache, come out slowly and sit down. If it doesn't settle within a few minutes, treat it as one of the urgent signs above, and don't repeat that pose (our suggestion, from case reports).
Stop if neck circles bring on dizziness, light-headedness or tingling into an arm. Make the movement smaller, with separate turns and nods, and see a GP if it keeps happening. Our neck pain guide has more.
During shoulder strengthening, pain up to about 5 out of 10 is acceptable, and a little is expected. By your next session it should be back to where it was before. If it isn't, use a lighter band or weight or a smaller range next time, not nothing.
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Before a class, tell the teacher about neck pain, arm symptoms, or a past neck injury or operation. NCCIH advises people with health conditions to talk with their health care provider and the yoga teacher about their needs.
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A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, are pregnant or have recently been unwell, start gently and read our guide for your condition. Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new exercise is common and fades as you repeat it.
If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
On most evidence it's a weak cause: sitting posture wasn't linked with neck pain in 1,108 teenagers, upright sitting went with more persistent pain in young women, and the neck angle while texting didn't predict new neck pain while poor sleep and inactivity did. One cohort of office workers found a neutral upper-back posture went with less risk.
Stretching didn't change posture across 23 trials; strengthening did a little.
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No study has tested fast neck rolls or head circles for harm or benefit, and NHS inform's exercises are slow single-direction movements held for 2 seconds. Do separate, slow nods, turns and tilts.
Against other exercise there was no clear difference, reviews find no single best type, and strengthening has the strongest workplace evidence. Choose what you'll keep doing, and add strength work.
Stretching alone may not help long-lasting neck pain, while strengthening the neck and shoulder blades did in trials. Do both.
No trial shows it. The head carries up to 40% to 48% of body weight in headstand, and these are the poses most often named in reports of harm.
Stress raises muscle activity, but pain tracks the feeling of tension more than measured activity. Movement, strength and calm all help, and none is a cure.
Breaks are the law for screen users and worth taking, but extra breaks made little difference to new neck pain in trials.
Yes, as one way to keep them moving and strong. For long-lasting neck pain, yoga eased pain and disability in small trials in the short term, about as much as other exercise, and in office workers it did as well as stretching.
Slow nods, turns and tilts; shoulder rolls; the upper trap and levator stretches; thread the needle; and back lifts like locust, with wall angels and a band row for the shoulder blades. Strengthening has the best evidence for desk neck and shoulder pain, so pair the stretches with it.
It may: in 150 office workers, weekly hatha classes with home practice did about as well as stretching. Specific strengthening has stronger evidence: 2 minutes a day with a band eased neck and shoulder pain by 1.4 points out of 10 in 10 weeks.
Probably not on its own. Sitting posture didn't predict neck pain in a large study of young people, and the neck angle while texting didn't predict new neck pain over a year, while poor sleep and too little activity did. Move often rather than holding one perfect position.
We found no study testing fast neck rolls for harm or benefit. NHS inform's exercises use slow single-direction turns and tilts held for 2 seconds, and this guide does the same. Stop if any neck movement makes you dizzy or sends tingling into an arm.
Stress raises activity in the trapezius, the muscle across the top of your shoulders, and office workers who felt tense were more likely to develop neck pain. Slow breathing and movement breaks help many people feel looser, though relaxation alone isn't a neck pain treatment.
Both. Stretching alone may not ease long-lasting neck pain, while neck and shoulder strength training did in office workers. The moves on this page include both.
Little and often: NHS inform suggests small amounts throughout the day, and the HSE says short frequent breaks are better than long rare ones. The slow neck movements through the day, with shoulder-blade strength 2 or 3 times a week, is a sensible start (our suggestion).
Headstand, shoulder stand and plough, which put weight on your neck, and poses that drop your head back, such as fish, camel and wheel, while your neck is sore. In headstand, the head carried up to 40% to 48% of body weight.
Yes: neck movements, shoulder rolls, the shoulder-top stretches, seated twists and slow breathing all work in a chair that can't roll. Our seated chair yoga class is done sitting, and our desk yoga routine fits a working day.
See a GP or physiotherapist if it hasn't eased after a few weeks, or a shoulder hasn't improved after 2 weeks. Get same-day help for worsening numbness, pins and needles or weakness in an arm, or clumsy hands. Call 999 for a sudden severe headache, a drooping face or arm weakness, or chest pain spreading to your arm, neck or jaw.
No trial shows that, and yoga doesn't replace it. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy says the type of exercise matters less than staying active, and a physiotherapist can tailor it to you.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
