At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we see a lot of people who want to stop pain from computer work. Sitting at the computer all day can cause you to have bad posture and weak muscles. These can cause neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain and even headaches that can make your life miserable. You may no longer enjoy simple things like going to dinner with friends or sleeping because you’re in constant pain.
The good news is there are simple exercises you can do to strengthen the weak muscles, fix your posture, and get out of pain. Here are 3 easy exercises you can do to stop pain from computer work in 10 minutes or less.
Backward Lunge with Twist
Your hip flexors easily get tight when sitting at a computer all day. This can create tension through your low back and cause stiffness and pain in your hips. Doing this backward lunge with a twist exercise throughout the day can prevent this.
his stretches the muscles on the front of your hip.
- Step back into the lunge position and turn your trunk towards your front leg.
- Slowly breath in and out 2 times.
- Switch legs.
- You can rotate as far as you can and even lean back some. Modify as much as you need to feel the stretch in the front of your hip and/or the front of your pelvis.
Do this at least twice a day for the best results.
Tall Sitting
Sitting at a computer all day can have a bad effect on your posture. It causes some muscles of your neck and back to get weaker. Getting out of bad posture can reset some of these muscles and prevent long term pain.
To do this exercise correctly, just try to think about lengthening your spine. Your upper back will get straighter and your chin will come closer to your neck.
Tall sitting helps you to recover to a less stressful position and improves your body’s control of your spine.
It’s not important to try to hold this position all day long. Do a few reps every hour as a re-set to keep yourself from staying slumped over all day.
Tall Kneeling Trunk Rotation
This a great exercise to do to break up your day if you are sitting at a computer for work. When sitting for a long time, your upper back muscles, glutes and low back muscles all start to shut off. This process is called muscle inhibition.
This exercise can help to get your upper back, lower back, and glutes turned back on and moving again.
To do this exercise correctly, keep your hips pushed forward and your chest opened up the entire time you are turning your trunk.
You should feel this working in your butt muscles and upper back.
Turn as far as you can and hold that position for 5 seconds, then repeat to the opposite side. Do 10-15 reps to each side.
None of the exercises above should make you hurt more.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, our physical therapists are experts at treating pain from computer work and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request and appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan to stop pain from computer work?
- You can’t sleep because your neck hurts
- You develop headaches that limit every aspect of your life
- Your back hurts every time you get out of a chair
But WITH a plan to stop pain from computer work you can:
- Enjoy spending time with family and friends again
- Have more energy for working out and exercising
- Live the active life you want again!
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a lot of time and are pretty easy to do correctly.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist in Alexandria, Springfield, or Arlington will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to stop neck pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
