Are you sitting at a desk right now?
Chances are you just answered yes, and that you've been there for a while, or you still have a while to go before you can leave your desk.
And, there's also a chance you aren't completely comfortable.
Maybe your neck or shoulders are stiff. Maybe your back hurts.
No matter where you're feeling sore, it's most likely because you have to sit in that chair for too long.
You likely have no choice, and you have to sit in that chair for that long, and that's where proper posture comes in.
Good posture helps your muscles, bones, balance, internal organs, and it goes a long way in minimizing back pain.
Poor posture and a weak core are two of the biggest reasons for back pain.
Since you aren't likely able to ditch your desk, there are simple exercises and stretches you can do throughout the day to improve your posture and reduce your back pain.
We'll talk about six of them below.
Table Of Contents
- Child's Pose
- Standing High Five
- Chin Tuck
- High Plank
- Mini Cobra
- Doorway Stretch
- Don't Suffer Through Pain
1. Child's Pose
Child's pose is a resting pose that stretches and lengthens your spine, glutes, and hamstrings.
It helps release tension in your lower back and neck.
To perform child's pose, sit on your shins with your knees and feet together, with your heels splayed out to the side.
Fold forward at your hips, and stretch your arms out in front of you.
Lower your hips to your feet, and place your forehead on the floor or turn your head to one side.
Keep your arms extended and breathe deeply into the back of your rib cage and waist.
Relax in child's pose for five minutes, remembering to breathe deeply.
2. Standing High Five
The standing high five will help open your shoulders, chest, and back.
To perform a standing high five, while standing tall, shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and then relax them down.
Make sure your palms are facing backward, and press your hands back like you're trying to give them a double high five.
Do this ten times and rest. Repeat as needed.
3. Chin Tuck
Chin tucks will strengthen your neck muscles and help correct forward-head posture.
You can a chin tuck sitting down or standing up.
Start by rolling your shoulders back and down.
Looking straight ahead, put two fingers on your chin, tuck your chin, and move your head back.
Hold this for about five seconds and release, repeating 10 times.
4. High Plank
A high plank will help relieve pain and stiffness throughout your body while strengthening your shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings as well as your core.
Performing a high plank is relatively simple.
Get on all fours, and then strengthen your legs, lift your heels, and raise your hips.
Straighten your back and engage your core, arm, and leg muscles.
Lengthen the back of your neck and look down at the floor, keeping your chest open and shoulders back.
You want to look like you're about to do a push up, without ever doing a push up.
Hold for up to a minute at a time.
5. Mini Cobra
The mini cobra will work wonders for your lower back.
Lying down flat on your stomach, bring your hands up to your shoulders and put them flat on the ground.
Pull your belly in towards your spine, squeezing your inner thighs together.
Rest your forehead on the ground, and you're ready to go.
Now bring your head forward and up as you press down on your palms, lifting your shoulders and chest off of the ground.
Keeping your elbows bent, squeeze your shoulder blades together to make your back work even more.
Now slowly lower back down to the ground. Repeat this ten times.
6. Doorway Stretch
The doorway stretch will loosen your tight chest muscles after being stuck at your desk for an extended period.
Find a doorway to stand in, and lift one arm so it's parallel to the floor and bend at your elbow so your fingers point toward the ceiling.
Put your hand on the door frame.
Lean into your raised arm and push against the door frame for about 10 seconds.
Relax the pressure and press your arm against the frame again, except this time come into a slight lunge with your legs so your check moves forward passed the frame for another 10 seconds.
Repeat this two to three times on each side.
Don't Suffer Through Pain
There's no getting around sitting at your desk for about 8 hours every day, we understand.
But, you don't have to accept the pain and discomfort that comes with it.
Sitting with proper posture is the first step in keeping your back healthy while you're at work. There are other factors such as weight can cause back pain.
The six exercises above will help you improve your posture, and they will help strengthen your back as well.
If you'd like even more help strengthening your back and improving your posture, contact the team at Florida Spine and Injury.
Their expert chiropractors will make sure your back is healthy and your spine is aligned so you can make it through your workdays pain-free.
Leave a Comment