For thousands of years, humans have hunched over to light fires, care for our children and harvest plants. But the modern version of this position — curving forward from focus or fatigue, then lifting our chins to stare at our screens — can lead to pain for many people.
This neck and upper back discomfort is often called “tech neck” or “text neck.” And experts say that it’s not necessarily the position itself that is a problem, but the amount of time we spend in it.
“The important thing about posture is it’s not such a binary good and bad,” said Claire Hsing, a physical therapist in Boulder, Colorado. Our bodies can be comfortable in many different positions, but few of them are ideal to hold for long periods of time, she said.
Brad Callan, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Pacific Northwest University School of Health Sciences, sometimes uses a simple exercise to illustrate that point: He asks his patients to stretch their thumb far away from their hand. Then he tells them to imagine holding it that way for eight hours. “That’s what you’re doing to your neck every day,” he tells them.
Tech neck hasn’t been rigorously studied, but experts say there are changes you can make that will likely offer some relief from the discomfort. First, check that your work station allows you to sit with good posture, Dr. Callan said. You should be able to keep your pelvis neutral, meaning you’re not arching or rounding your back, he said.
Stretches that release tension in the muscles along the neck and the tops of the shoulders can help, too, Dr. Hsing said. It’s also important to strengthen the muscles in your mid-back and along your spine, and improve your mobility in these areas.
The following routine includes exercises that check each of these boxes — and many of them can be done right at your desk.
Overview
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Intensity: Low to medium
What You’ll Need
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A chair
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A mat
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A set of medium to heavy dumbbells
How Often
Most of these exercises can be performed daily, as needed, to relieve tension and discomfort. Shoulder rows can be performed up to three or four times per week as part of a regular strength training routine, Dr. Hsing said.
Chin tuck
Repetitions: Two or three sets of five to eight repetitions
Purpose: Releases tension near the base of your skull and improve strength to correct forward head posture
Sit tall, and gaze forward with your shoulders relaxed by your sides. Tilt your head down and then press your chin backward, like you’re making a double chin. Hold for two to three seconds, then release. This movement can be quite small, but you should feel a stretch where your hairline meets the top of your neck.
Upper trap stretch
Repetitions: Two or three reps per side
Purpose: Releases tension in the muscles along your upper back and neck
Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed, gazing forward. Tilt your right ear toward your right armpit. Press your left shoulder slightly down, away from your ear. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then release.
Use a range of motion that feels comfortable. You may only be able to tilt your head slightly. If you have a larger range of motion, for a deeper stretch you can anchor your opposite hand down by sitting on it or holding the side of your chair.
Levator stretch
Repetitions: Two or three reps per side
Purpose: Releases tension in the muscles along the sides of your neck
Sit or stand tall, with your shoulders relaxed naturally, and gaze forward. Tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder, then rotate your neck slightly so your nose is pointing toward your armpit. (You can imagine you’re smelling your armpit.) Press your left shoulder slightly down, away from your ear. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then release.
Like the previous stretch, you can anchor your opposite hand if you feel comfortable.
These two stretches may look very similar, but you should feel them in different parts of your neck and shoulder. For each one, pay attention to what feels good: It may be that both sides need attention, or you may discover that you hold a lot of tension on one side and not so much on the other, Dr. Hsing said. If that’s the case, you can focus on the tense side and skip the other side (or do fewer repetitions there).
Isometric cervical rotation
Repetitions: Five repetitions per side
Purpose: Improves mobility in the muscles that help you turn your head
Sit or stand tall, with your shoulders relaxed, and gaze forward. Place your right pointer and middle fingers on the right side of your temple — or on another comfortable spot on the side of your face, like your jaw or cheekbone— and try to turn your head to the right as your hand resists. Hold for five seconds, then relax.
If your neck mobility isn’t limited, you can try turning your head all the way to one side and then applying pressure with your head rotated.
Supine snow angels
Repetitions: Two or three sets of six to eight repetitions
Purpose: Stretches the muscles in your chest and helps improve thoracic spine mobility
Lie on your back, with your arms out to your sides and your elbows and the backs of your wrists resting on the floor. Keep contact with the floor as you reach your arms overhead, then return to the start position with control. You should feel a nice stretch in your chest muscles as you move.
Cat-Cow
Repetitions: Move smoothly between the two positions for 30 to 60 seconds
Purpose: Improves mobility and body awareness along the spine
From all fours, inhale as you lift your head and tailbone, allowing your belly to drop and your back to arch. Feel your chest open and your shoulder blades glide back and down. Exhale as you round your back, allowing your head and tailbone to point down toward the floor, lifting your belly and the middle of your back.
If you aren’t comfortable on your hands and knees, you can perform cat-cow seated in a chair (with your hands on the back of your head) or standing and hinging forward with your hands on your thighs.
Bent-over rows
Repetitions: Two to four sets of six to 10 repetitions
Purpose: Builds strength in the back muscles that support your shoulder blades and counteracts neck and upper back pain
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand. (Choose a weight that feels moderate to heavy to you; aim for an effort level of six or seven out of 10.) Hinge forward until your torso is level with or close to parallel with the floor and your arms are hanging straight down. Bend your elbows to pull the weights closer to you, stopping when your elbows are even with your trunk. Then lower with control to the starting position.
While you can perform this exercise with your elbows moving past your torso, that full range of motion can be uncomfortable for people experiencing neck and upper back pain, Dr. Hsing said. You’ll still build strength and support your neck and upper back with this more controlled range. Take at least one rest day in between sessions of this exercise.
Anna Maltby is a journalist in Brooklyn and the author of the newsletter How to Move.
The post 7 Exercises to Soothe Your Sore Neck and Shoulders appeared first on New York Times.
