There is an increasing proportion of the population that find themselves in a predominantly sedentary job position which can involve many hours spent sitting an office desk. Our bodies are designed for movement and inactivity due to prolonged sitting can bring about a myriad of postural related pains.
Of course, we can all improve our posture and decrease our chance of postural related pain by ensuring we sit correctly in our chair. Simple changes such as making sure our hips are positioned all the way back into the chair and sitting upright with a lengthened spine can make a large impact.
Office workers don’t have the opportunity to move around during the day, and often their complaints of pain are associated with tight muscles or joint stiffness. To combat this issue, here are 3 simple stretches that you can do right in your office chair:
Trunk rotation
- Keep your feet on the ground and place an even amount of weight through both sides of the buttock
- Twist your upper body to one side
- Feel the twist occurring at your spine and not just your shoulders moving
- You can use the hand on the side you are rotating towards to hold the back of the chair for an increase in the stretch
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Perform the same on the other side
- This is a great stretch for someone who complains of stiffness in the mid back
Knee to chest stretch
- Make sure you have moved your office chair out from underneath your desk so that you will have enough room to lift your knee up
- Hug both hands around the back of one thigh and pull it as close towards your chest as it will allow
- Hold this position for 30 seconds
- You may feel a stretch into your bottom
- Remember to perform the same on the other side
- This is a great stretch for someone who complains of tightness in the buttock or low back
Side bend neck stretch
- Place your right hand underneath the right side of your buttock
- Relax your shoulders
- Tilt your head to the left so that the left ear moves down towards the left shoulder
- Feel a stretch along the right side of your neck
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Remember to perform the same on the other side
- This is an effective stretch for someone who complains of tightness over the back and sides of their neck
If you experience any ongoing pain or discomfort from prolonged sitting please seek the assistance of one of our experienced and qualified physiotherapist’s at Physionorth who can tailor individual treatment regimes and exercise programs to suit you.