Work at a computer all day? Try these exercises!
Strengthening the upper back muscles is important to prevent slouching, which is a common cause of neck and shoulder pain. Strengthening the upper back and the back of the shoulders helps maintain upright posture, as muscles in the upper back help keep the shoulder blades down and back.
Hunching over computers, tablets, and laptops causes your head to come down and forward and your shoulders rounded. This causes bad posture because the muscles in the front of your shoulders become tighter and shorter and the muscles in the upper back become over stretched and weaker. This leads to poor posture and eventually upper and lower back pain and tension headaches.
Simple Exercises Can Help!
Here are a few exercises you can do several times during the day to prevent slouching and help you correct your posture and prevent back pain while working on all those electronics!
Plus remember to get up and walk around every 2 hours.
Neck Stretch: To stretch your neck, slowly flex your head backward for 30 seconds, then forward for 30 seconds, laterally to right or to the side for 30 seconds and the other left side laterally for 30 seconds and look right for 30 seconds and left for 30 seconds. This can be done almost any time to lessen tension and strain. Never roll your head around your neck–this could cause damage to the joints of the neck.
Arm Slides: Stand straight with your back against a wall. Let your arms hang at your sides, and then place them against the wall, palms facing out (not on the wall), so that your lower arm is touching the wall. Raise your arms slowly up and down the wall, stretching the upper back and arm muscles. Go as high as you can while maintaining elbow-to-hand contact with the wall. Repeat 10 to 20 times.
Corner Chest and Shoulder Stretch: Stand facing a corner, place both hands and forearms on each wall of the corner with your elbows bent at 90 degrees and slightly lower than your shoulders. Pull your shoulders down while pressing your forearms against the walls as this will allow shoulder blades to come together. Step your right foot forward and toward the corner while taking 3 to 5 breaths. Step foot back and switch feet. Repeat several times throughout the day.
Band Pull-Aparts: Band pull-aparts are performed using a resistance band, so they can be performed almost anywhere, even sitting at your desk at school or work. Grasp the ends of your resistance band and raise your arms in front of you to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and stretching the band out across your chest so your arms are parallel to the floor. Pull your shoulders back and keep your chest up. Return to the starting position and repeat. Perform 15- 20 reps or hold a single repetition for 30- 60 seconds. Do 3-5 sets every day.
Chair Shoulder Squeeze: Engage abs by pulling belly button in toward your spine, relax shoulders,and head up. imagine you are squeezing a ball between your shoulder blades and pull your shoulder blades back and down for a count of 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times several times throughout day.
Seated Chair Arm lift: Slowly raise arms straight above your head, pointing them toward the ceiling. Reach high as you feel your back elongating. Breath in and out while holding this position for 10 seconds. Slowly lower your arms. Repeat one to three times as necessary. This stretches the lower back as well as the upper back and shoulders.
Holding Chair Stretch: While seated, grab the bottom side of your chair with one hand and gently lean your head to the opposite side to feel the stretch. Make sure you are sitting up straight and hold the stretch for 5-10 seconds. Then switch and repeat on the other side 2-3 times.
Chair Side Stretch: Sit up straight and curve your left arm over your head, leaning your body to the right with your head laterally bending as well. You will feel this stretch all along your left side. Hold for five seconds. Repeat on the other side.
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Aug 18, 2020 at 7:14 AM
Such amazing content.