{"id":43945,"date":"2021-06-09T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/uncategorized\/desk-related-neck-pain-stiffness\/"},"modified":"2021-06-09T03:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T01:00:00","slug":"desk-related-neck-pain-stiffness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/blog\/learn\/desk-related-neck-pain-stiffness\/","title":{"rendered":"3 exercises to prevent desk-related neck pain and stiffness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Neck pain and stiffness are common complaints among office workers and <a href=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/working-home-back-pain\/\">the pandemic made it all worse<\/a><\/strong>. The fact is that whether you\u2019re hunched over your desk or looking down at your laptop from the comfort of your sofa (we see you \u2014 don&#8217;t worry, it&#8217;s our secret), <strong>poor posture strains your neck muscles. The good news is, you can fix it. <\/strong>Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A literal pain in the neck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to ergonomics, any expert worth their salt will tell you to make sure your chair has the right height adjustments, with your torso and head in a straight line. Ideally, your shoulders should sit almost directly above your hips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The right workstation is a huge factor in preventing neck pain and stiffness<\/strong> \u2014 <strong>but it\u2019s not just down to the chair<\/strong>. No matter how state-of-the-art your desk set-up is, it doesn\u2019t always stop the slouch. <strong>It\u2019s time to look beyond the furniture and into your own body<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Easy exercises to prevent desk-related neck pain and stiffness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp; Flexion is your friend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A neck flexion stretch is done by lowering your chin towards your chest, helping you maintain neck stability and good posture. Plus, it\u2019ll give a sweet release when done properly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start with a neutral body, your arms by your side.<\/li><li>Engage your core to stabilise your spine.<\/li><li>Draw your shoulder blades back and down.<\/li><li>Gently hold your head with your hands, then gradually draw your chin in toward your chest, keeping your back and shoulders upright.<\/li><li>Hold for 15-20 seconds.<\/li><li>Repeat for 3-5 rounds.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/evofitness_austria\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en-960x422.jpg 960w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en-768x338.jpg 768w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en-480x211.jpg 480w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en-640x281.jpg 640w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/evo-at-blog_en-720x316.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp; Stretch out the sides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever felt neck pain and stiffness sitting at your desk, your natural instinct is to stretch your neck sideways. Here\u2019s how to do it most effectively, tightening muscles and reducing pressure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sitting at your desk, cross-legged on the floor or standing, make sure your nose is pointing forwards, then tilt your head to the right.<\/li><li>Place your hand to the left-hand side of your head, then use it to gently guide your head further to the right. Imagine you\u2019re taking your right ear towards your right shoulder.<\/li><li>Hold for 15-20 seconds.<\/li><li>Repeat on the left-hand side, using your right hand to gently stretch your neck.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3.&nbsp;&nbsp; Shoulder squeeze release<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can do this one sitting at your desk, or on a break. Try to stand up every hour, then enjoy this delicious stretch while you&#8217;re waiting for the kettle to boil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Clasp your hands behind your back (or over the back of your chair), then squeeze your shoulder blades together.<\/li><li>Maintain a long neck and engage your core muscles.<\/li><li>For a deeper stretch, raise your arms slightly away from your buttocks. Only squeeze hard enough for an ache-relieving release &#8211; stop if you feel any neck pain.<\/li><li>Hold for 15-20 seconds.<\/li><li>Repeat for 2-4 rounds.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/memberships\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en.png\" alt=\"evo at standard sales campaign blog en\" class=\"wp-image-56816\" style=\"width:1024px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en.png 1024w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en-960x422.png 960w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en-768x338.png 768w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en-480x211.png 480w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en-640x281.png 640w, https:\/\/evofitness.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/evo-at-standard-sales-campaign-blog-en-720x316.png 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neck pain and stiffness are common complaints among office workers and the pandemic made it all worse. The fact is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":43946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"3 exercises to prevent desk-related neck pain and stiffness | EVO Fitness","_seopress_titles_desc":"Office work can be a pain in the neck. Like in most situations, prevention is key. Here are 3 exercises for neck pain and stiffness.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[366,989,990,991],"class_list":["post-43945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn","tag-sedentary-lifestyle","tag-neck-pain","tag-neck-stiffness","tag-office-work"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evofitness.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}