A neck rotation SNAG with a towel is a self-mobilization for a neck that is stiff turning to one side. SNAG stands for sustained natural apophyseal glide, a technique from the Mulligan approach to manual therapy. A rolled towel behind the neck glides the joints gently forward while you turn your head. None of it should hurt. It is usually taught by a physio in the clinic first, and this page is a reminder of what they showed you.

How to do the neck rotation snag with a towel

Sit tall in a chair with both feet on the floor. Rest a rolled towel across the back of your neck, at the level your physio has shown you.
Cross the two ends of the towel over each other in front of your throat, as in the video. Hold the end that now hangs on your right side in your right hand, and the end on your left side in your left hand. Draw the towel just snug around the back of your neck.
To turn right: slowly turn your head to the right while your right hand draws its end of the towel gently forward in the same direction. Your left hand stays still and holds its end steady.
Pause briefly at the end of the turn, keeping the gentle pull, then come back to face forward before you let the pull go.
To turn left, swap the roles. Your left hand does the gentle pulling as you turn left, and your right hand holds steady. The video shows both sides.

What you should feel

The edge of the towel presses lightly on the back of your neck as you turn. The turn itself should feel comfortable, with no pain at any point.

Common mistakes

Pulling hard on the towel. The pull is light and steady, never a jerk.
Letting the steady hand pull as well, so the towel just tightens around your neck.
Letting the chest and shoulders swing round with the head, or tilting the chin up or down as you turn.
Carrying on through pain. If the turn hurts, the towel position or direction needs checking.

How often

Self-SNAGs are often done as 6 to 10 slow turns to each side, once or twice a day, and only while the turn stays pain free. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

The turn is painful, or pain, numbness or tingling spreads into your 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

Where the towel edge sits and which way you pull both matter, and they are hard to judge on your own. So a physio usually teaches a SNAG in the clinic first and checks the turn is pain free before you do it at home. If you have not been shown it, start with plain neck rotation and ask your physio whether a SNAG suits your neck.

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.

Ask your doctor or physio before using this technique if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis, have had neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, or have been told you have a problem with the blood vessels or ligaments in your neck. The assisted neck rotation is another way to ease a stiff turn, using your hand on your chin instead of a towel.

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 SNAG with a towel