4 easy tips to help alleviate neck and upper back for desk workers
Stop and Notice - Notice where the tension is in your head, neck, and shoulders, and take a moment to relax it. Check-in with yourself by following this flow for your head, neck, and shoulders. Pause as needed to release any tension you feel.
Bring awareness to your: forehead, eyebrows, the inside corner of your eyes, the outside corner of your eyes, temple region, ears, cheek, jaw, tongue, front of the neck, top of the shoulders, front of the shoulders, upper arm, elbow, wrist, and fingers.
Run through this as many times as you need throughout the day.
Sit Tall - The majority of people sitting at a desk will sink into a posture after an extended period of time that feels compressive to the neck and shoulders. To combat that, I like to cue patients to “sit tall” when at their desks instead of “sit straight”. A lot of people sit straighter by bringing their chest forward and rolling their shoulders far back. Overdoing this motion can overextend their thoracic spine, actually creating more tension in the mid back.
When I cue patients to sit tall, I have them sit closer to the front of their seat, feet flat and at a comfortable width apart, shifting their weight forward onto the sit bones instead of the tailbone - and as a bonus, bringing the rib cage parallel to the pelvis. Then, with the chin slightly tucked, imagine a string attached to the top part of their head pulling them up ever so slightly.
As you mimic the spine lifting into this position, it should reduce tension around the base of the skull, upper back, shoulders, and maybe the lower back. The areas that felt compressed should feel a bit lighter. Take a few deep breaths in this position.
Scapular Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) - Moving your scapula, aka the shoulder blade, will bring movement into the neck and shoulder. Many muscles that attach to the scapula also attach to the neck and shoulder. Start by squeezing your shoulder blades together without extending your spine much (your spine will extend a little, but it should not be the primary area of movement). Then think about sliding your scapula down into your back pockets, bring them forward, and back into a neutral position. Then start the movement over again. Repeat about 5-10 times, slow and controlled.
Seated Windmill - One of my favorite movements is the seated windmill. It helps open the chest, front of the shoulders, and arms, and adds rotation into your spine. Sit tall, straighten your arms in front of you, palms together at shoulder height, reach forward with one arm, and continue to reach up and overhead until your arm is behind you. Follow your hand with your eyes and head if you can. Bring your arm back to the starting position and repeat on the other side. You should feel the stretch in (some combination of) the shoulders, mid back, bicep, fingers, and neck.
If you have any questions about the symptoms you’re experiencing or any of the exercises, feel free to contact us, we’d love to help! I hope this helps create more comfort for you during your workday!