Posture Check: 4 Stretches To Try Throughout Your Workday

“Sit up straight” or, “You need better posture” – sound familiar? Posture, posture, posture. It can be hard work. Let’s take a quick look at a handful of stretches you can do at work to improve your posture.

Side Of Neck Stretch

This stretch is designed to stretch the muscles on either side of your neck. Sit up straight holding onto the seat of your chair with one hand. Use your other hand to gently tip your head towards your shoulder on that side. You should feel a mild stretch on the opposite side of your neck. Maintain this position for 30 seconds; switch and perform on the other side, again holding for 30 seconds. Complete four total repetitions on each side.

Back Of Neck Stretch

This stretch is designed to stretch the back side of your neck. Sit up straight holding onto the seat of your chair with one hand. Rotate your head to the opposite side of your hand holding the chair. Next, tuck your chin towards your armpit and gently use the hand on that side to grasp the back of your head and apply slight pressure. You should feel stretch on the back side of your back on the same side of the arm holding the chair. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat on the other side. Perform four repetitions per side.

Middle Back Stretch

This stretch is designed to stretch the middle of your back between your shoulder blades. Sit up straight in your chair with your arms extended at shoulder height in front of you. Turn your hands so your thumbs are pointing towards the ground and the backs of your palms are facing each other. Next, cross your arms and clasp your hands. Together, reach your hands/arms towards the ground and tuck your chin towards your chest. Hold for 30 seconds and complete four repetitions.

Chest Stretch

This stretch is designed to stretch the muscles on the front of your chest. Stand tall facing an open doorway with your feet staggered, one in front of the other. Place your hands, forearms and elbows flat on opposite sides of a door frame. Try to have your upper arms at shoulder height and elbows bent to approximately to 90 degrees. If this is difficult, slide your upper arms down the door frame so they are below shoulder level. Next, shift your body weight forward to achieve a stretch through the chest/front of the shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds and complete four repetitions.

Are you having trouble improving your posture at work? Or maybe you’ve started to have pain as a result of your poor posture? Come in to an Athletico near you or be seen virtually for a free assessment. During your free assessment, you will work with one of our talented rehab professionals to determine next steps to start feeling better. Free assessments are available in clinic and virtually through our telehealth platform.

Schedule a Free Assessment

*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.

The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.