Between driving, sitting at a desk, and relaxing, many of us spend the majority of our time sitting down. One major consequence of this is back pain. Here are five office-friendly stretches that can help!
You probably don’t have the time or space to run through a full yoga routine at the office, but these stretches are easy to squeeze in and undo some of the tension introduced by hours at your desk.
Forward Fold
One of the best passive stretches is a simple forward fold. Using gravity to pull you down, you’re naturally creating space in between your vertebrae and stretching out the hamstrings and back muscles.
A lot of people don’t realize that tight hamstrings are one of the main culprits of lower back pain and never think to include them into their stretching routine. The muscles in our bodies are all connected and thinking about how one muscle group affects another makes it easier to pick a good stretch for it.
Making sure your knees are bent will protect the lower back and prevent the hamstrings from being over-extended. Let your upper body fall over your thighs and relax the shoulders.
You can intensify the stretch by interlacing the fingers behind your back and releasing the arms over your head. This rinses out the shoulders and pulls the lats away from the lower back, creating even more space and releasing tension. Keep breathing fully and deeply, letting your head fall heavy. When exiting the pose, curl the spine and roll up slowly, stacking the vertebrae on top of one other, head lifting last.
Seated Heart Opener
Sitting at our desks all day keeps our chest closed up as our shoulders hunch forward to type at our computers. Performing this stretch a couple of times a day helps with combatting upper back pain, neck stiffness, and even headaches caused by overly tight muscles. Place your hands on the chair behind you, palms facing forward. Make sure your feet are hip-width distance and firmly pressing into the ground, creating a stable foundation. Push down through your palms and let your front body open up.
Be careful not to let your neck and head fall backward. Instead, elongate your spine by sending your shoulders away from your ears and breathe into the stretch. This will help create that much-needed lift and prevent any neck straining. Use every inhale to elongate the spine even more, and every exhale to go deeper. When you’re ready to come out, curl your spine the opposite way and bring your chin towards your chest to prevent any discomfort.
Neck Stretch
Stretching the neck prevents upper back pain, stiff shoulders, and potential headaches. Staring at our screens the entire day and sitting in that hunched position isn’t natural for our bodies. We compensate with every possible muscle, which in turn wreaks havoc on our nerves and all the signals going into our brain.
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Source : Save Your Back from Your Desk with These 5 Office-Friendly Stretches
