How to Stretch at a Desk During Work

Sitting for many hours at work is necessary for most people and this often creates stiffness in the neck and low back. Even for people who exercise at the gym or who bike to work, sitting for extended periods of time creates stress in the spine.Stretching several times a day at your desk is easy and can help you prevent you from feeling “fossilized.” If you have serious pain in your spine, consult your doctor.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin with the head and neck. Push your chair a little away from your desk and keeping your chest well lifted, tilt your head to the left and slowly roll it back, to the right and forward. Continue for 3 or 4 rounds in one direction and repeat in the other direction.The neck is a pivot joint connected with many strong muscles. Gentle neck rotations are appropriate if you can do them pain-free. If not, see your doctor to assess your neck pain.

    • 2

      Move onto the upper back, shoulders and back of the neck. Extend your arms overhead, interlacing your fingers so that the palms face the ceiling. Keeping the chest tall and your hips rooted in your chair, dial your chest to the right and then to the left. Create a small twist in the upper back between the shoulder blades, the rhomboid muscles, that can tire from moving a computer mouse and typing.

    • 3

      Free the hands and hold the right wrist with your left hand and extend the right arm long and upwards as you shrug both shoulder blades down towards your hips. Release the hand and repeat to the left side. This stretches the large trapezius and latissimus muscles of the upper back that tire from hunching forward to read or type. It also stretches the lungs and intercostals, small muscles between the ribs, so that you will allow more oxygen to enter your lungs.

    • 4

      Lower the arms and roll the shoulder heads, the large bulky deltoids (the “meat” of the shoulders) back several times. As most people tend to hunch forwards, this can contribute to Dowager’s Hump, an obvious “candy cane” shape to the upper mid-thoraic. Stretching regularly counters this hunchback shape.

    • 5

      Place you hands on the sides of your chair and grasp the edges. Lift the chest tall out of the hips and dial the chest to the right, bringing the twist to the upper back, between the shoulder blades. Pause for a few breaths on this side before repeating to the left side.

    • 6

      Push your chair back so that you have room to extend your legs straight in front of you. Grasping the edges of the chair, extend the right leg to straight and flex the foot so the big toe points towards your chest, then point the foot. Lower the leg and repeat to the other side. This captures the calves which tighten if you wear high heeled shoes or have flat feet.

    • 7

      Place your hands behind your right leg and extend the leg to straight by contracting the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and flexing the foot. Repeat to the left side. This captures the 3 very large hamstring muscles that tighten from sitting and can pull the low back in to a posterior pelvic tilt (as if you were tucking your tailbone under you) and that contributes to lower back tightness. Stretching the hamstrings is one preventative measure.

    • 8

      Stand up away from your desk and place your hands firm on the front edge of your desk. Walk your feet back until your legs are straight. Keep you left foot where it is and step the right foot forward, bending that knees. Press into the left heel to stretch the hamstrings, calves, Achilles tendon in the left leg. Repeat to the second side.

    • 9

      Sit back in your chair and interlace your hands and rotate the hands in one direction several times and then in the other direction. Shake out the hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome has many causes and working for hours typing can place a strain on the wrists. Gentle range of movement stretching moves the tendons of the wrists in a safe, non-weight bearing way. Keep small squeeze toys on your desk to squeeze with one hand and the other throughout the day. This strengthens the long extensor muscles that run along the top of each arm. Keeping the extensors strong helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome: an impingement of the carpal tunnel nerves that pass through each wrist.

    • 10

      Sit looking forward. Turn the head to the right as far as possible and, keeping your chest tall, shrug the shoulder blades down. Turn the head back to the center and to the left. Return to center. This range of movement for the neck and upper back helps maintain length in the upper back, to help prevent the hunchback of Dowager’s Hump.