Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and with almost 60% of Americans working from home (and gyms closed until recently), more than ever, many of us are feeling the aches and pains of slouching over makeshift workstations, using sofas, stools, and dining tables, perhaps rotating between a few different setups, hunched over laptop screens. As the WFH lifestyle has become the new normal, working from these awkward positions for long periods of time has not only become habitual, but the repetititive stress might also be causing chronic muscle or joint tightness, cramps, spasms, or even pain. We’ve all heard that being sedentary is harmful for health, but combined with the dramatic decline in physical activity and social gatherings due to the pandemic, as well as an incline in stress levels (chronic stress has been shown to increase physical pain), we have all been dealing with an unprecedented and tremendous impact on our physical and mental well-being.
As a result of this more home-bound, sedentary lifestyle, and routinely working from home on less-than- ideal workstation setups, you may be experiencing any of the following:
Headaches
Neck aches
Eye strain
Jaw aches
Wrist pain
Low back pain
Poor posture
Tight hips
Leg cramps
Foot soreness or heel pain
Stiff shoulders
Chest tightness
If you’re in the Bay Area, you might have started going to the gym (now at the yellow tier, San Francisco county has recently allowed gym capacity to increase from 25 to 50%). But whether you’re getting into the gym regularly or not, there are a few stretches, exercises, and self-massage techniques that can be applied intermittently throughout the day, to break up long periods of time sitting, or in the mornings and evenings, to support healthy blood circulation, joint mobility, flexibility, and good posture. And of course, these can easily be done in the gym too.
In the following WFH series of articles, we’re going to share some tips on what you can do to alleviate the physical aches and pains that you might be dealing with. In this week’s post (part one), we’re going to cover 8 areas of exercises, stretches, self-massage, and tips to address “tech neck” or “text neck”, shoulder stiffness, headaches, eye strain, jaw aches, and wrist pain.
(1) Head and neck stretches
You might have noticed that you are constantly bending your head forward to get a good view of your laptop or phone screen, causing some neck tension, headaches, eye strain, or general stiffness. “Tech neck” seems like a minor inconvenience, but it’s important to note that even with a slight forward bend of your head at 15 degrees, this position adds 27 lbs of extra weight to your cervical spine! And a 60 degree forward bend adds 60 lbs of weight - according to a study published in Surgical Technology International. What may start as acute pain, headaches, or dizziness, may worsen to radiating pain, reduced lung capacity, and spinal degeneration.
Try this series for the neck:
Tilts - While seated, gently tilt your head forward, tucking your chin to your chest, and optionally, clasping your hands behind your head to provide some extra pressure. Hold while taking a few deep breaths, approximately 20 seconds. Now gently tilt your head backwards, while keeping the jaw closed, to stretch the vocal chords, taking a few deep breaths.
You can also do a side tilt on each side, gently using your hand to pull diagonally up while relaxing the opposite shoulder to create length in the neck, taking deep breaths and holding for about 20 seconds each.
Rotations and circles - Turn your head to the left, as far as possible, then turn to the right, as far as possible. You may also want to slowly practice some circles, going first clockwise for 5-8 reps, then counterclockwise.
Tennis ball or lacrosse ball self-massage - Using a ball can assist in releasing trigger points or knots in the muscle. You can simply grab the ball and apply pressure on your own or use a wall to assist (these ones do the job well; you can also opt for a ball like this one). When you find a muscle knot, hold and place pressure while taking 2-3 deep breaths (visualize the air going into the muscle and lengthening it), then roll past the area where the knot was. Roll along the length of the muscle, from the base of the neck to your shoulder, relieving any trigger points along the way.
In addition to these stretches and self-massage maneuvers, it may help to position your device so that it is more readily viewed with a neutral neck position.
If you’re dealing with eye strain from prolonged computer use, it may subside relatively easily if you take a break to look away, and blink the eyes frequently to refresh them. There is a commonly recommended 20-20-20 rule that states that every 20 minutes, you should look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Another noteworthy tip is to make sure the room is bright enough - your screen shouldn’t be much brighter than your surroundings.
(2) Jaw stretches
If you’ve noticed that you’ve been clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth, it may be your body’s way of releasing tension from day-to-day stress. According to a dentist based in Ohio, the energy produced by the body in response to stress - to allow for a fight-or-flight response - must be released in some way, by some type of activity, and for some people, this tension is released by clenching or grinding their teeth.
Healthline has a few suggestions to relieve jaw tension:
Goldfish stretch - With your tongue putting pressure on the roof of your mouth, open and close your mouth slowly, as wide as you can.
Smile stretch - Smile widely while slowly opening and closing your jaw
Massage the jaw muscles near your ears in a circular motion as you open your jaw
In addition, you might consider using a mouth guard (here’s an example).
(3) Shoulder and chest stretches
When we’re frequently using a laptop, computer, or cell phone, it’s typical to not only have a forward- positioned head, but also a forward-rounded upper back. When this happens, spinal compression is increased, chest muscles are shortened (and likely tighter than normal), shoulders are not in proper alignment, lung capacity is diminished, and internal organs are compressed. Over time, these adjustments become part of normal posture, and can cause discomfort or pain.
Try this series for the shoulder, chest, and upper back:
Shoulder rolls and circles - From a seated position, roll your shoulders upwards and in front of you, then downwards and backward, for 5-8 reps, then switch directions, rolling upwards and behind you, then downwards and forward, for another 5-8 reps. Shoulder circles can be performed by using your extended arms to create large circles, starting by moving in forwards circles, then backwards circles for 5-8 reps each.
Foam roller angels - Using a foam roller placed behind your upper back and underneath your shoulder blades, practice using your arms to angle outwards and wide (like a goal post), to an extended position overhead, with hands reaching far away from the body, for 2-3 reps, then roll forward on the foam roller about 1 inch, so it’s placed a little higher on the upper back, and repeat 2-3 reps. Repeat the angels until the foam roller is high on the upper back. This practice keeps your thoracic spine mobile, stimulating the upper back muscles while encouraging a healthy range of motion in the pecs, lats, and shoulder girdle.
Band pull-aparts - Grab onto a resistance band so that your hands are approximately shoulder-width apart, and pull apart the band while keeping a neutral hand position (thumbs up) and shoulders staying down (relax the upper traps, keeping the shoulders down). At the end of the movement, squeeze the shoulder blades together, activating the lower traps and rhomboids. These muscles are essential in maintaining proper posture. Practice for 15-20 reps. (Theraband has some simple long bands that work well for this exercise.)
Wall slides - Stand in front of a wall, leaning into it, and start with arms extended overhead, reaching for the ceiling, with the tops of the hands touching the wall. Slowly retract the hands towards your body, bending at the elbows, and at the bottom of the movement, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Practice 8-10 reps. This exercise also activates your lower traps and rhomboids, encouraging good posture.
Cow face pose with towel (upper body) - Using a towel, place one hand overhead, and one hand behind you, grabbing both ends of the towel. Moving mindfully and gently, see how far you can open up into the stretch and get the hands closer together. Hold for 10-20 seconds and switch sides.
Cat cow pose (or cat camel) - From a tabletop position where the wrists are aligned under the shoulders, and the knees are aligned under the hips, start with a neutral spine or flat back position. Take a deep breath in as you arch the back and look up towards the ceiling. As you exhale, round the back as much as possible, looking down at your navel. Repeat for 5-8 reps.
Extended puppy pose - From a tabletop position, walk the palms forward until you’ve reached as far as possible, while keeping the hips high. You might want to allow the head to drop, relaxing the forehead onto the floor or mat. This stretch alleviates lengthens the spine and opens the shoulders. Hold for 20 seconds, taking deep breaths.
Side-lying thoracic rotations (“Hands on the clock”) - From a side- lying position with knees bent and hips stacked evenly, extend the arms and place the hands on top of each other. From this position, slowly rotate your top hand so that it opens upwards and behind you, as if your hand moves from the “9” to the “3” on a clock. This movement stretches the chest, back, and shoulders. Practice 5-8 reps, then switch sides.
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*Disclaimer: Not all exercises, stretches, self-massage techniques, tips, or maneuvers mentioned here are suitable for everyone. Before attempting anything new, take into account your flexibility, strength, and overall health to determine whether or not a particular recommendation is appropriate for you. If you are not able to determine the safety of a recommendation, do not do it without having cleared it first with your physician. This is particularly important if you are overweight, pregnant, nursing, taking regular medications, have injuries, have had a recent surgery, or have any existing medical or health conditions. The exercises and instructions included on this website are not a substitute for medical advice. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your exercise you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately. You are responsible for exercising within your limits and seeking medical advice and attention as appropriate. Any injury sustained from proper or improper use of the exercises contained herein is solely the responsibility of the participating individual. Custom Fit SF, its trainers, coaches, staff, partners, and affiliates are not responsible for any injuries that result from participation in the recommendations shown.
Written By Christina Lim