Symox

I'm looking for tips on how to prevent the literal pain in the neck on longish descents.

The only things that seem to have helped are stretches and doing more descents.

Thanks

canklecat

Physical therapy and bike fit designed to suit your body based on exams.

Carbonfiberboy 

Dumbbells. Heavy shrugs. Lateral raises, front raises, rear raises, supersetted. Seated dumbbell presses, no back support. There are also special head harnesses for working the neck muscles, but I've never used one. Like anything else, a stronger muscle tires more slowly when loaded. Just using one's head for load isn't enough to generate much strength. There aren't any fast, coasting descents around here longer than about 16 miles, so that's my experience.

Carbonfiberboy 

Many ways to arrange the body during descents. I use the standard method: weight on pedals, chin 2" above stem to allow for bumps, back straight, knees gripping top tube, hands in drops, elbows tucked under stomach. I think more elaborate configurations sacrifice some safety.

smashndash

I think getting glasses that go higher up on your face like a visor/shield can help. It reduces the need to absolutely crank your neck when descending.

The alternative is to sit very upright.

cubewheels

Do more descents, always work.

And whenever you need to slow down for any reason, get in a more upright position on the bike. Getting less aero (more drag) when you need to slow down also helps reduce brake wear.

MoAlpha

Trim your eyebrows and exercise the superior rectus muscles.

Seriously though, I have a fusion and two artificial discs and my neck extension is limited, so I know from this problem. I also know from long experience that staying low in the drops with weight back is the only safe way to descend fast, especially on bad pavement, of which there is a lot here. To augment the problem, I have deep-set eyes and I figure the overhang of my ugly skull costs me a few degrees of flexion.

I have actually considered looking into custom glasses with a weak prism insert at the top to help me get lower on the bike safely and comfortably, but I don't know if such a thing is even possible.

seypat

Hans device?

datlas 

​​​​timtak Goofy Glasses??

cubewheels

If you're looking to having a prism like a mirror, it will flip forward view upside down and that is worse.

I never liked rolling my eyes up to look forward while I'm facing the ground. Makes me quite dizzy and that's probably more dangerous for me. I prefer straining my neck to look as forward as possible

MoAlpha

Prisms lenses don't invert. They are used all the time in glasses for people with double vision from eye muscle weakness and I have uses prism goggles to study sensorimotor adaptation in the lab. People learn to function with them perfectly with seconds of practice. There is, however, an opposite aftereffect when you take them off.

Agree, eye strain is no solution.

Iride01

I've done various things to deal with neck pains at various times. First thing was take the visor off of my helmet. Second thing was make sure to adjust my helmet so it sat further back on my head. Both of these things let me see further down the road when in the drops without lifting my head so much.

I'd forgotten when buying my new helmet to check for forward visibility with head down. It doesn't give me quite as good a view as the front comes down too low on my brow. So it will probably be retired early.

As for neck pain in general, I was getting some at the top of my neck where it joins my skull. Not necessarily from riding. I think just me getting old and not moving as much. So I've been simply turning my head in every direction and in circles when I think of it. At first it was as if I had a bunch of gravel in there. But now my head spins smoother and the pain is gone.

big john

Shermer's Neck Pain Relief - Health Tips From The Professor (chaneyhealth.com)