Stretching at the Office | An Ergonomic Outlook
Why is stretching throughout the workday important?
On average, people work 8 or more hours per day – this is a long time to sit at a desk! When at a desk
and working on a computer, our arms and shoulders are often pulled forward as we type and our
neck and shoulders may become rounded as they fatigue. Taking breaks to stretch throughout the
day reduces tension throughout the musculature that becomes tight due to our prolonged work
stances and promotes improved posture.
If you haven’t already:
Create a workspace specific to your body by checking out our
Guide to Setting Up your Ergonomic Office Space!
What muscles should you target and why?
When doing tasks in front of you, such as typing, the muscles in your chest can get very tight –
which can make maintaining good posture even more difficult! This is because the muscles in our
chest connect to our shoulders and, when tight, can pull our shoulders forward to an even more
rounded position. Performing pec stretches intermittently throughout the day can help you combat
this, though! There are several ways to target the pectoral muscles – thus opening the chest and
getting those shoulders back.
With a lot of typing – the backs of your forearms can become fatigued and tight, causing pain in the
elbow (termed tennis elbow). Performing a few 30 second wrist stretches throughout the day can
help you avoid this!
Another muscle group that can get tight with periods of prolonged sitting are the quads – the big
muscle group on the fronts of your legs. Stretching these muscles throughout the day can help
alleviate/avoid hip and back pain!
START DOING THESE STRETCHES TODAY!
DOORWAY PEC STRETCH:
*If you are experiencing pain or as a result of poor posture – please give our Fort Wayne
Physical Therapy Clinics a call today to be seen at ProTailored Physical Therapy. Our phone
number is 260-739-0300!