Robert,

Here are several of the ones I can do myself (I'm dealing with a combination of neck stiffness and some muscle weakness, combined with the cervical spine issues):

Turn your head slowly to one side (about 90 degrees) and hold that position to a slow count of five; then turn to the other side and hold to 5 -- repeat this 4 to 5 times.

Tip your head slowly down as far as you can toward one shoulder and hold to a slow count of 5; then tip slowly toward the other shoulder and count to 5 -- repeat 4 to 5 times.

(I hear lots of crackling sounds when I do these!)

There's also a set of isometric exercises to build strength:

Hold the palm of the right hand against the right temple and push as hard as you can with your head against your hand for several seconds; repeat on the other side.

Hold the palms of both hands against your forehead and push hard against your hands for several seconds.

Also, if you work out in an exercise room, it helps to use the machines that build some strength in your shoulders and upper arms.

Some of the other things that helped had to be done by the physical therapist (there were a couple of times when he was turning my neck so hard I thought it was going to snap, but after 4-5 weeks of sessions twice a week, I could really feel a difference in strength and flexibility).

I suspect that some of these routines may be too much to take on for people who are still healing from recent surgery, so I would still advise checking with a PT about the kinds of exercises that might work at specific stages of recovery. Be careful out there!

Cathy