Sitting at your desk all day can be a pain in your neck (or back)!
Remember to try to get up every hour or so for just a minute or two to allow your body a variety of positions rather than the same thing all day! If you need a reminder download this free workstation break timer to help you out.
'Brugger' Postural Relief Stretch
- Sitting at edge of chair, feet and knees wider than pelvic width and rotated slightly outward.
- Maintain a chin tuck, raise chest up, allowing spine to relax into a gentle arch.
- Relax shoulders and rotate arms/hands so that thumbs point backward.
- Hold, breathe, release and repeat throughout the day.
Pectorals Doorway
- Face the corner of a wall or stand in a doorway.
- Place forearms on edge of wall or sides of doorway.
- Slowly lean chest forward into corner, keeping upper body tall.
- Feel stretch in front of chest.
Active Shoulder External Rotation
- Sit or stand tall with elbows bent to 90 degrees and hands in front of body.
- Rotate shoulders outward, bringing hands away from each other keeping elbows tight to the sides.
- Hold, bring hands back to start position and repeat.
Neck Retraction Seated / Chin Tuck
- Sit tall with your shoulders relaxed.
- Tuck your chin into neck and geltly slide head backwards.
- Hold, release, repeat.
Scalenes Depressing Clavicle
- Sit tall, placing one hand on opposite collar bone.
- Turn head towards collar bone, look up and tilt head away towards opposite shoulder.
- Use gentle pressure on the collar bone to increase stretch.
Traps Self-Traction
- Sit tall, grasp back edge of a chair with the hand of the side to be stretched.
- Turn head toward that same side and lean head and body away to feel a stretch in the side of the neck.
Levator Self-Traction Chair
- Sit tall, grasp back edge of a chair with the hand of the side to be stretched.
- Turn head toward the opposite side and flex head forward ('nose to elbow').
- Let body lean to feel a stretch in the back and side of the lower neck.
Standing Chest / Pec Release
- Stand and place hands on lower back.
- Breath in and raise sternum up while bringing elbows toward each other behind body.
- Hold, exhale, feeling a release in the front of the chest and shoulders.
- Return to start position. Repeat