It’s 3 o’clock and your neck is three hours into becoming concrete, your shoulders are nowhere you remember having them, and your lower back appears to be staging a revolution. You have been seated for six hours straight, and your body is expressing its dissatisfaction. The majority of the desk stretch guides out there show you all kinds of elaborate yoga poses and movements that you have to get on the floor to do — things that you will never actually do in an office. These stretches are not: they require just 5 minutes, need no special space or equipment and actually offer real relief from the tension that piles up after hours of sitting.
Neck and Shoulder Relief
Chin tucks: Sit tall and slightly jut your chin straight back as if you were creating a double chin. 5 times, repeat 10 times. This reverses the forward head posture that leads to neck pain.
Shoulder blade squeeze: With straight arms, pull your shoulder blades back as if you’re pinching a pencil between them. Hold 5 seconds, release. Repeat 10 times. This opens up your chest and nullifies hunched shoulders.
Neck stretches: Tilt your head to the left, bringing your ear toward your shoulder. Hold 20 seconds each side. Don’t force it—gentle is effective.
Upper Back and Chest Opening
Doorframe stretch: Stand in a doorway and place your forearms on the frame, then step forward until you feel a stretch across your chest and shoulders. Hold 30 seconds. It’s the antidote to rounded shoulders, from keyboard work or anything else.
Seated spinal twist: Sit facing sideways in your chair, hold on to the backrest of your chair with both hands and carefully twist your torso. Hold 20 seconds each side. This mobilizes your thoracic spine which gets locked up from sitting.
Lower Back and Hip Relief
Seated figure-4 stretch: Cross one ankle over the other knee and lean forward, gently pressing down on the raised knee. Hold 30 seconds each side. This loosens hip flexors that tighten up from sitting.
Cat-cow chair: Sit tall, then round your spine curling forward, and arch looking up. Alternate 10 times. This mobilizes your entire spine.
Standing hip flexor stretch: Stand and bring one knee to your chest, hold 20 seconds each side. Rapid relief for lower back congestion.
The Key Stretch: Stand Up
Really, the best desk stretch is getting yourself up and walking for two minutes every hour. Set a timer. Your body simply wasn’t built with that type of long-term sitting in mind—whether you’re at work on a computer, pursuing the latest series to binge watch, or glued to chairs trying your luck at casino slot machine for hours at a time. Nothing better resets your posture and circulation than to stand up and move.
Making It Habit
Set an alarm to go off every hour on your phone, or on your computer. Warm up with these stretches during video conference calls when the camera is off. Make the routine short enough that you’ll actually do it — just 5 minutes is manageable; 20 isn’t. Instead, zero in on the stretches that work for your particular issues rather than trying to do it all.
When Stretching Isn’t Enough
If you experience lasting pain that doesn’t respond to regular stretching, visit a physical therapist or doctor. Persistent pain at the desk may be helped with ergonomics, strengthening exercises and even assessment by a trained professional. Stretching treats symptoms, but does nothing about problems like a crappy chair or a monitor that’s out of alignment.
Wrapping Up
Stretches at the desk aren’t going to get rid of eight hours of sitting, but they do a lot to alleviate that discomfort and tension as it accumulates from throughout your workday. The important thing is consistency — 5 minutes a few times per hour beats a complex 30-minute system each month. Choose three stretches for your worst muscles, set a reminder and do them! By the end of the week, your neck, shoulders and back will thank you.
