The side lying levator scapulae stretch targets the muscle that runs from the upper neck to the top inner corner of the shoulder blade (levator scapulae). You lie on your side, tuck your top hand behind your buttock to hold that shoulder down, and turn your face toward the bed so your head can drop forward and down. The stretch is felt on the side facing the ceiling.

How to do the side lying levator scapulae stretch

Lie on your side on a firm bed or mat with a small pillow under your head and your knees bent. The side you are stretching is the one facing the ceiling.
Reach your top hand behind you and rest it on your buttock. This draws the top shoulder down and keeps it there.
Turn your face toward the bed and look down, so your nose points toward your lower armpit.
Rest your lower forearm on the bed in front of your face and let your head sink toward the bed. The weight of your head gives the stretch, so there is no need to pull on it.
Hold at the first clear stretch and breathe slowly. Then bring your face back to the middle, bring the top arm back to your side and rest.

What you should feel

A stretch from the base of your skull down the upper side of your neck to the top corner of your shoulder blade, on the side facing the ceiling.

Common mistakes

Letting the top shoulder creep forward or up, which takes the stretch away.
Pulling on your head with your hand. The weight of your head is enough.
Turning your face up toward the ceiling instead of down toward the bed.
Rolling back onto the arm behind you, so it no longer anchors the shoulder.

How often

Many programs use 2 to 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds on each side, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

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.
An electric shock feeling runs down your back or into your arms or legs as your head bends forward. Stop and get medical advice the same day.
The stretch turns into sharp pain in the neck, or pain, tingling or numbness runs into your arm or hand.

From the clinic

With the bed carrying the weight of your head, some people find the neck easier to relax here than in the seated levator scapulae stretch. The hand behind your buttock does the anchoring. Check the top shoulder has not crept up before you let your head sink. The voice guide mentions pulling your head down with your other hand, but the video does not use one, and the stretch works without it.

Reaching behind you can be sore, and after shoulder surgery it may not be allowed yet. Ask your surgeon or physio first. Until then, let the top arm lie along your side with the hand on your thigh.

After neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, check with your surgeon or physio before you start. If you have rheumatoid arthritis or Down syndrome, or have been told the top of your neck is unstable, ask your physio before you do this stretch, and do not add a pull with your hand.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the side lying levator scapulae stretch. Lying on your side lets the top leg slide forward or drop across the lower one, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. Keeping a pillow between your knees helps hold the legs apart.

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.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

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.

Side lying levator scapulae stretch