Neck rotation on elbows is done lying on your stomach, propped up on your forearms, with your face pointing at the floor. From there you turn your head to one side and then the other, keeping it in line with your spine. Your neck muscles hold the weight of your head as it turns, so this asks more of the neck than turning your head while lying on your back.

How to do the neck rotation on elbows

Lie on your stomach on a firm bed or mat and prop yourself up on both forearms, elbows roughly under your shoulders and hands loosely clasped in front of you.
Lower your head gently so your nose points at the floor and the back of your neck feels long, in line with your spine rather than hanging. Keep your shoulders relaxed, not hunched up.
Slowly turn your head to the right as far as is comfortable, without lifting your face or dropping it closer to the floor.
Come back to the middle with your nose facing the floor again, then turn to the left in the same way.
Keep turning from side to side, slowly. When the set is done, lower your chest to the mat and rest for a moment, then roll onto your side to get up.

What you should feel

The neck muscles working to hold your head as it turns, perhaps with a mild stretch at the end of each turn. No pain.

Common mistakes

Lifting your face to look forward or up as you turn.
Sinking down between your shoulders, or shrugging them up toward your ears.
Whipping your head round quickly, or pushing past a comfortable range.

How often

Many programs use 5 to 10 slow turns to each side, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Turning gives a sharp pain in the neck, or pain, numbness or tingling travels into an arm or hand.
You feel dizzy, faint or unsteady. Stop and get medical advice the same day. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
Things look double, your vision suddenly blurs or goes, your speech slurs or becomes muddled, swallowing becomes hard, your face or lips go numb, one side of your face droops or one side of your body goes weak or numb, you suddenly become so dizzy or unsteady that you fall or cannot stand or walk, your legs suddenly give way but you do not black out (a drop attack), or you get a sudden severe headache. Stop and call emergency services, even if it goes away.

From the clinic

Propping up on your elbows arches the lower back a little. If that is uncomfortable, a pillow under your stomach may ease it, or ask your physio for another position. Try this once your neck turns easily lying on your back, as in lying neck rotation. For the muscles at the back of the neck, the prone chin tuck is a harder face-down exercise.

If your neck pain started after a recent car accident or fall, get it checked by a doctor or physio before you begin. Keep still and call emergency services if the pain came straight after a high-speed crash, a car that rolled over, being thrown from a vehicle, being hit by a vehicle while walking or cycling, a motorbike or quad bike accident, a horse riding accident, a diving injury or a fall from a height or down several stairs, or if you have numbness, tingling or weakness in an arm or leg. If you hit your head and were knocked out, cannot remember what happened, have had a headache ever since, are being sick, or take medicine that thins your blood other than aspirin on its own, go to an emergency department, and do not drive yourself.

If you have a condition that stiffens the spine, such as ankylosing spondylitis, new neck pain after even a minor fall, knock or jolt is an emergency: keep still and call emergency services if it started straight after the injury, or go to an emergency department straight away, without driving yourself, if it started later. See a doctor the same day, before any exercise, if you are 65 or over, have low bone density (osteoporosis) or have taken steroid tablets for a long time, if your neck pain is severe, if you cannot turn your head halfway toward each shoulder, or if it hurts when you press on the bony middle of the back of your neck. Having none of these does not rule out an injury.

After neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, check with your surgeon or physio before you start. Lying face down is one to clear with your physio if you are pregnant.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Neck rotation on elbows