Best Neck Stretches to try at Work
Easter Holidays are now behind us, and work is back into full motion. Since returning to work you may notice that your neck is feeling strained. Before reading on, our first tip is to ensure your desk is ergonomic and you maintain great posture while working. You can find directions on how to do this in our previous blog here.
If you are still experiencing pain after making your desk ergonomic, here are our favourite neck stretches to help. These stretches will become your secret weapon to combatting neck pain. So the next time you go to procrastinate at work, instead of picking up your phone and getting more tech neck, we recommend you do the following daily:
1 – Forward and Back Head Tilt
How to do this stretch:
- While seated in your chair or standing up, start with your back straight and your head held upright.
- Slowly lower your chin down to your chest and hold for 15 seconds while breathing slowly.
- Slowly bring your chin back up and back. Tilt your chin toward the ceiling and have the back of your head moving towards your back. Hold for 15 seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat 5 times.
- Tip! If you are doing this while standing, keep your feet hip-width apart, and while seated, keep your feet squarely on the floor.
2 – Side Tilt
How to do this stretch:
- While seated in your chair or standing up, start with your back straight and your head held upright.
- Without raising your shoulders, gently tilt your head toward your right shoulder and try to touch it with your ear. Don’t worry if you can’t reach your ear to your shoulder. Just aim to feel a stretch in your
- neck.
- Hold the stretch for 5-10 seconds and then return to the start position.
- Repeat on the left side.
- Repeat 5 times.
- Tip! For an extra stretch, take the hand you are tilting towards and place it over to the opposite side of your head. Use this hand to gently pull your stretch down further to your ear.
3 – Side Rotation
How to do this stretch:
- While seated in your chair or standing up, start with your back straight and your head held upright.
- Slowly turn your head to the right so that your head is now in line with your shoulder. You should feel a stretch on the opposite side of your neck and shoulder.
- Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left side.
- Repeat 5 times.
4 – Shoulder Roll
How to do this stretch:
- Unlike the others, try this stretch standing up. Keep your legs hip-width apart.
- Raise your shoulders up and around, moving them in a circle forward.
- Complete 6 rolls.
- Return to the starting position.
- Now make another 6 circles but this time rolling your shoulders backward.
These stretches should take approximately 5 minutes to complete, but we are sure you’ll gain those minutes back. Work will go much faster without the pain in your neck! For those working long hours, these stretches are great to do for morning, lunch and afternoon tea. As you are waiting for the kettle to boil, make the most of your break by releasing tension using the stretches above.
If you are still experiencing chronic pain, our team here at Northern Myotherapy are here to help. Call us on 03 9078 9953 or book an appointment for myotherapy at our Brunswick Clinic.
