How to Decrease Neck Tension at Work
As a physical therapist, I am lucky to be on my feet moving throughout the day. However, most people – especially these days – work at their computer while sitting at a desk.
With the focus and intensity I’m sure you are putting into your work, your nose starts to drift forward, the shoulders round, the upper back stiffens, the tailbone slips underneath you and suddenly you’re wondering why you appear to be shrinking.
So here are some of my favorite home remedies to decrease neck tension at work and prevent future pain.
Reducing neck tension from desk work
Desk work can lead to Forward Head Posture: this happens when the natural lordotic curve in the neck starts to straighten out over time. The deep neck flexors (front) become lengthened. The short neck extensors (back) become shortened.
Stretching the suboccipitals
The suboccipitals are a set of 4 muscles directly under your head. When the neck is forward, these get extremely tight!
As I demonstrate in the video above, my favorite way to release them is with 2 tennis balls taped together. But I show it with one lacrosse ball. I follow this with my favorite stretch. Think about rotating the head over an axis as you push the chin down and back while pulling the back of the head up and forward.
Activating the deep neck flexors
There are 4 muscles in the front of the neck called the deep neck flexors that are responsible for keeping the head in alignment. They go to sleep 
when the head falls forward.
As I show in the video, I love activating them with chin tucks lying on the back first. BUT you can do them sitting anytime, anywhere. To advance them, try lifting the head up less than an inch. How long can you hold that while maintaining a double chin? It should be TOUGH when done correctly 
Stretch the levator scapulae
This muscle attaches from the high neck into the tip of the shoulder blade. This muscle typically feels the pain because it’s constantly working eccentrically to keep that head up while you work at the desk!
This is the neck stretch in the above video. Hold this stretch 30 seconds to a minute when feeling that pain creep up.
Stretch the sternocleidomastoid (SCM)
This muscle comes from the back of the ear to the from of the collar bone/sternum. With a forward head, it gets real nice and tight 
Hold the collar bone/sternum area, tilt the head away as the chin lifts toward the sky.
How’s it feel??
These stretches are great for reducing that work-from-home neck tension and improving your posture. For more, check out…
Work-from-home postures that keep you pain-free and productive
Best foam rolling techniques for neck pain
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