7 Easy Daily Desk Stretches - 10 Minutes to Ease Pain and Injury
Best Desk Stretches
Feeling restless on the computer?
Aches and pains from sitting too long?
Need stretches to help keep the best posture?
When we sit for several hours a day or any long periods of time, our muscles can tense up and become strained which causes pain and injury. These pains can be uncomfortable and make us less productive in every part of our lives.
The good news is that we can solve this problem, by trying these stretches uniquely designed to aid you at your desk and help ease the pain and strain.
- While sitting, cross your arms and touch your shoulders
- Rotate upper body from the hips and waist and turn gently left to right as far as you can without pain
** You should feel a stretching tension in your lower back as it stretches out
- Hold out arms across your body with fingers elongated
- Pull elbows towards the chest until you feel a tension
- Keep pulling back to stretch it, there should be no pain
- Pull shoulders up and down for a deeper stretch
- Gently lift shoulders up and tense the muscles, hold for 5 seconds
- Gently let them fall
- Repeat 10 times, then take a 2 minute break and repeat 3 more times
**You should feel the tension being released as your shoulders drop
- Keep your head upright
- Gently turn your head from side to side
- As you turn your head, try to move it past your shoulders without causing any pain
**You should feel your neck muscles stretching at the end of each rotation
- Sit on one hand
- Tilt your head away from the hand you are sitting on
- Tilt your head slightly forward towards your shoulder
- Do the same to the other side
**Your neck muscles should feel good tension with no pain
- Stand and stretch out your arms behind you
- Interlock or clasp your hands and gently lift your arms without pain
**You should feel tension as you descend your arms and let go
- Hold both hands above your head
- Interlock or clasp your hands and pull them upwards towards the sky
- Reach as high as you can without pain
- Slowly release and lower you arms
- Repeat as needed
Do the stretches once a day to help strengthen and stretch out the tense muscles that have been building up over time. Make sure to drink plenty of water and don’t overexert the stretching. There should be no pain during or after the stretches. Doing the above exercises will help improve overall physical health and boost productivity. Back pain is the most common problem when it comes to office discomfort, you can treat and prevent this by doing stretches a couple of times a day throughout the week.