Trend of hanging from parkland trees by the neck to relieve cervical pain shocks social media; practice is already popular with elderly people
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenYating Yangin BeijingPublished: 2:00pm, 7 Apr 2026In an attempt to mimic cervical traction therapy used in hospitals, a new trend known as the “neck-hanging exercise” has emerged among young Chinese people.
The exercise involves people hanging by their head from trees to relieve cervical spondylosis.
According to the 2024 China Cervical Spine Health White Paper, more than 200 million people in China suffer from cervical spine disorders, with over 40 per cent of patients under the age of 30.
The new hanging trend has been gaining traction online, as increasing numbers of young people try it.
The practice was originally popular among older generations in China.
In many city parks, it is common to see elderly people hanging from trees in fitness areas, suspending their heads with ropes while their feet leave the ground, swaying back and forth like a pendulum.
Many believe that this mimics medical cervical traction therapy, helping to relieve neck pain and provide therapeutic benefits.
