Office Exercises: 15 Easy Desk Stretches to Target Neck & Back Pain

Occupational health & wellbeing

Sitting at a desk all day can cause stiffness and pain in the neck and back, leading to discomfort and reduced productivity. Fortunately, there are simple exercises that can be done right at your desk to help relieve this pain and improve your overall well-being. In this blog, we will share 15 easy desk stretches that target neck and back pain

Neck, upper back and lower back pain are common musculoskeletal complaints, but are increasing in prevalence and can be very common in those who work at a desk, with it being suggested that over half of desk workers experience some form of back pain day to day (Rezwan et al., 2023). This has been particularly prominent since the covid-19 pandemic, with neck, upper back and lower back pain being the most prevalent types of musculoskeletal pain reported by those who work from home (Shah and Desai, 2021)

It has been suggested that up to 4.5 hours of prolonged sitting can increase sensations of muscle stiffness and that regular breaks can reduce this (Kett and Sichting, 2020), and reduce the incidence of the new-onset neck, or lower back pain (Waongenngarm et al., 2021). Movement breaks can consist of any type of physical activity away from the screen, from a gym session to a short walk, or even some yoga – though this understandably isn’t always an option. The remainder of this blog describes several movements and stretches that can be performed little and often throughout the day, whilst at your desk to help alleviate your desk-related neck, upper back, or lower back pain.

Seated flexion

Sitting down, reach your arms down towards the floor allowing your back to round and arms to hang.
This stretch targets the lower, mid, and upper back

Seated extension

Sitting down, begin to arch your lower back allowing your upper back to bend backwards
You can complete this with your hands by your side, or behind your head
This stretch targets the lower, mid and upper back

Seated rotation

Sitting in your chair, move one arm across your body to the opposite side of the chair. Allow your upper body to rotate as you complete this.
This stretch targets the upper back

Seated glute stretch

Whilst sitting in a chair, place one leg on top of your opposite knee (the lower part of your shin should be making the contact). From here, lean forwards – you should feel a stretch in your glutes and lower back.

Seated knee hugs

Bend your knee towards your chest, using your arms to pull closer and create extra pressure
This is a mobility exercise/stretch to target the glutes and lower back

Neck circles

Move through your neck range of motion as if you are drawing a circle, you can complete clockwise and anticlockwise.
This exercise targets neck mobility and can be useful if feeling stiff after sitting at a screen or keyboard for a long period

Shoulder retraction

Hold your hands behind your back, and pull them backwards – focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together. This can be completed as a short contraction followed by a rest, or as a longer hold
This exercise targets your upper back and can help get out of a rounded, protracted position than can cause discomfort whilst sitting at a desk

Shoulder shrugs

Shrug your shoulders up towards the ceiling, hold and relax. This exercise targets your upper trapezius muscles.
To make this more challenging, you can try holding a dumbbell in each hand

Shoulder rolls

With your arms by your side, move your shoulders upwards, backwards, down, and forward in a circular motion. This is a good mobility exercise for your shoulders and can give relief after holding your upper body in one position for a prolonged period.

Wall angel

Against a wall (or in your office chair), place your arms at shoulder level with your elbows bent. Straightening your elbows, slide your arms as far up the wall as comfortable – then return to the start position.
This can help ease off sensations of upper back and neck pain and stiffness, as well as act as a strengthening exercise when weight is added

Wheeled office chair desk slide

Grasp the edge of the desk, then slowly move backwards with your wheeled chair until your arms are straight and in line with the desk. Ensure this is a slow, controlled movement.
To push this stretch further, dip your head between your arms when in the fully extended position
This is a stretch for the upper back and shoulders

Overhead side flexion

Sit with one arm by your side, and the other over your head. Slide your lower arm down the side of the chair by side bending your back. This can be nice for alleviating stiffness of the lower and upper back

Other options for at-home strengthening at, or away from the desk which may help with improving desk-related upper back and neck pain:

Reverse fly banded

Attach a resistance band to a solid surface and hold one end in each hand (or if the band is shorter, just hold each end) – ensure there is adequate tension in the band by stepping backwards. Hold the band with your elbows bent and your arms out in front of you at shoulder level, then pull each arm out to the side concentrating on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
This will act as a strengthening exercise for the upper back

Y raises

Stand shoulder width apart with your arms by your side. Next, raise your arms in front of your body and then over your head – creating a Y shape with your arms. Then return to the starting position in a slow and controlled manner.
This is a strengthening and mobility exercise for the shoulders and upper back.
Make this more challenging by holding a dumbbell in each hand!

Thread the needle/drag through

Hold yourself on all fours (or press up/plank position to make it more challenging). Place one hand behind the other and rotate your upper back as you glide the arm across your body.
You can make this more challenging by placing a weight on either side and dragging it beneath you as you return to the start position.

Ergonomic advice

It may also be beneficial to consider appropriate desk set-up, particularly if set up for desk work at home (Yeow et al., 2021). Here are some tips for a comfortable ergonomic desk set-up:

Elbows at right angles with your upper arms, relaxed at the side of your body and in line with your keyboard.
Your feet should be able to be flat on the floor. If this is not possible, a footrest may be beneficial to give your feet contact with the ground. Your chair height should also allow your hips to be slightly higher than your knees.
Your eyes should be level with the top 2/3 of your screen. If you use a laptop, a riser plus an external keyboard and mouse may be beneficial to achieve this position.
Be sure to sit back into your chair, there should be a gap between the back of your knee and the edge of the seat of no more than 2-3 fingers width. Having appropriate support for your legs can ease pressure on the lower back

If you have neck, upper or lower back pain and are unsure as to the best way of managing this, you may benefit from a physiotherapy assessment to receive guidance and advice tailored to you.

References

Kett, A. R., & Sichting, F. (2020). Sedentary behaviour at work increases muscle stiffness of the back: Why roller massage has potential as an active break intervention. Applied ergonomics, 82, 102947.

Rezwan, A. K. M., Raisa, S. S., Toma, T. A., Ahmed, N., Tandra, A. J., & Barua, D. (2023). Study on Association between Daily Office Activity and Low Back Pain among the Desk Job Workers. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 986-992.

Shah, M., & Desai, R. (2021). Prevalence of neck pain and back pain in computer users working from home during COVID-19 pandemic: a web-based survey. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 11(2), 26-31.

Waongenngarm, P., van der Beek, A. J., Akkarakittichoke, N., & Janwantanakul, P. (2021). Effects of an active break and postural shift intervention on preventing neck and low-back pain among high-risk office workers: a 3-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 47(4), 306.

Yeow, J. A., Ng, P. K., & Lim, W. Y. (2021). Workplace ergonomics problems and solutions: Working from home. F1000Research, 10(1025), 1025