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Back & Neck Pain Blog

By Anne Asher, About.com Guide to Back & Neck Pain since 2005

Stretching your Back while at the Desk

Monday August 14, 2006

Illustrations (c) Anne Asher 2006 Licensed to About.com


Are you at your desk right now? If so, you may wish to try this simple stretch.



Written Instructions for this Back Stretch

This back stretch is recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association and targets the muscles of the seat, low back and shoulders. In my opinion, it targets the abs, too! In the written instructions, I have included some posture and alignment hints for more effectiveness.

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Comments

August 15, 2006 at 5:53 am
(1) Syga says:

I work 8 hours in front of the computer and, boy, do I need that stretch. I tried the two-minute stretch and felt more relaxed afterwards. This would come in handy not only in the office but on a plane during long flights.

Articles are short, hence, quick to read and follow compared with long and too detailed information. Just right!

Please include more exercise but those that doesn’t require acrobatic ability.
Thanks!

August 15, 2006 at 10:43 am
(2) backandneck says:

Will do, Syga! Starting in September I will be posting at least one exercise per week on the Back and Neck site. Also in September, look for a monthly feature on Yoga and Back Pain. You will be able to find that on both the Back and Neck site and on the Yoga site. Thanks for your interest — Anne

June 23, 2007 at 10:55 am
(3) Jerry says:

Has anyone else had some “rookie troubles” with this stretching exercise? Has anyone found a video of this exercise somewhere on the web? I’m all ears and eyes to learn more about this stretch before I try it again. So far, my back moves as “a unit” rather than articulating like a snake. Continuation with this stiff back could hurt me, so I’ll wait for more hints and until my abs get a bit stronger from simple, correctly performed, crunches. Thanks for any input.

June 23, 2007 at 10:58 am
(4) Jerry says:

Addendum to previous comment:
To see the exercise to which I’m referring, please left click my name (in blue hypertext) and it will take you to the stretch.

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