6 stretches for open shoulders and a poised neck

Written by the Therapia Team

HOW MANY OF YOU GET A SORE NECK FROM SITTING AT THE COMPUTER???? A head that feels so heavy at the end of the day that you can’t wait for bed? A chest so tight that you feel yourself rolling into a ball?

What about having that *ping* of envy seeing someone walking to work like a catwalk model?
Shoulders open, neck long and supple, almost like floating on air. 

One of the pitfalls of “modern life” is that many of us work in sustained postures that lead to many injuries & conditions – particularly the neck & shoulders. 

One, not so flattering way of describing this posture is that of the DESK JOCKEY. 

Rounded shoulders and back, chin poking forward.

SO why is this the case? 

Many people when sitting at a computer will begin to slouch. The postural muscles of the neck and spine simply aren’t designed to support a sustained upright sitting posture for hours on end!! 

When this happens the; 

• Chest muscles tighten as the shoulders roll up and forward 
• Chin pokes forward which tightens the front neck & base of skull muscles
• Upper and middle back stiffens 

This can then lead to conditions such as; 

• Wry neck 
• Headaches 
• Nerve impingement / thoracic outlet syndrome
• Shoulder bursitis
• Postural muscle soreness
• and many more… 

So which stretches would we recommend to keep the neck and shoulders loose and limber … and WHY?! 

1. Neck range of motion: Flexion and extension, side-tipping, rotation, circles. 
   Focus: Cervical discs, facet joints, all the muscle and ligaments of the neck! 
   WHY: If neck joints (discs and facets) have sustained loading (postures), inflammation can build up in these joints over time leading to stiffness. Movement prevents this build-up! 

2. Base of skull stretch
   Focus: Sub-Occipital Extensors
   WHY: When the chin pokes forward (which let’s face it, happens to us all after a while!), these muscles shorten & tighten. This creates a tendency for the chin to be ENCOURAGED to poke forward. 

3. Shoulder Circles (joint release)
   Focus: Glenohumeral joint release (the ball and socket of the shoulder). 
   WHY: When the shoulder roll forward or round, this closes the space between the shoulder ball and point of the shoulder. A major bursa lives in this space and can get compressed, leading to bursitis! 

4. Kneel sitting shoulder blade release 
   Focus: Mid and upper thoracic spine, pec minor. 
   WHY: The shoulder blades move the middle and upper back (thoracic spine) (try moving this area without moving the shoulder blades!). Achieving the full range of motion of the shoulder blades in flexion and extension, we are able to get the full movement of the thoracic spine in this plane of movement – releasing stiffness in these joints. 

5. Thread the needle/starfish
   Focus: Thoracis rotation, pec major & rhomboid stretching
   WHY: For the exact same reason as exercise 4. But in the rotational plane of motion for the thoracic spine. 

6. Eagle stretch in kneeling
   Focus: rhomboids, lower traps, upper traps   
   WHY: We put this exercise last because these muscles are the common areas of postural muscle SORENESS, however these muscles are only sore due to the postural dysfunction addressed in the prior stretches. Feels great! 

Give this program a go and see how your body FEELS. Perhaps you’ll even walk OUT of work feeling as if you’re on the CATWALK! We would love to hear how you go! 

Disclaimer

If you have experienced or are experiencing any injuries, chronic tightness or pain in the neck, shoulder or back, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your trusted health advisor (GP, physio, or us!) before giving this program a go.