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Exercise Solutions for Work Aches and Pains

The habits we build at our desks can contribute to numerous health issues. Various aches and pains can make you uncomfortable and less productive at work. The longer these pains go on, the more difficult it is to stay on top of your health, work, and overall quality of life. The good news is that you can still turn this around by doing a couple of exercises to help ease the strain.


Exercises To Ease Your Work Pains 

The following exercises can help reduce any aches and pains that you may experience before, during, or after work. These exercises allow your muscles to maintain flexibility and strength. Regularly doing them can improve your overall well-being as well. 

Shoulder Rolls

Neck aches and shoulder pain are one of the most common issues that workers experience. Stand tall or sit upright with your arms by your sides and your shoulders pulled back down. Next, bring your shoulders towards your ears as high as you can and roll them forward.

Try your best to keep your torso straight as you round up your upper back. Pull your shoulders back to the starting position and shrug them up to do another roll. Complete 10 to 12 shoulder rolls. You can also reverse the move and roll to the back. 

Neck Retraction

This exercise can be performed standing or seated. Start by looking straight ahead and allow yourself to relax. Next, tuck your chin down slightly and move your head slowly backward until it is pulled back as far as you can without straining or feeling any pain.

Continue looking straight ahead. Be careful to not tilt your head forward or backward while performing this stretch. Maintain this position for 3 to 5 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Leg Lifts

If your hips and hip flexors are feeling stiff, you might want to try this out. Begin by sitting straight in your chair, feet planted on the floor, and your back against the chair for support. Lift your left leg, positioning it parallel to the floor. Bend your knees until you’re back to the starting position.

Do the same thing with your right leg after. Do about 10 reps for each leg, alternating between them. When performing this exercise, ensure that your back is straight and that you are firmly seated. 

Seated Figure 4 Stretch

Sitting for long periods can lead to neck strain, poor posture, hip pain, and back aches. An exercise that you can do is this. Sit straight in your chair and cross one leg on top of the other so that your ankle is positioned over the opposite knee.

Next, slowly lean forward while gently pressing on the crossed knee. You should feel a comfortable stretch around your torso. Hold this stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, and then do the motions again on the opposite side. Repeat 3 to 5 times on each side. 

Eagle Hand Pose

This exercise is taken from the yoga pose of the same name. It helps in relieving soreness in the wrists as well as each side of your forearms. Start by holding your arms at a 90-degree angle in front of you. Put your hands together, palms facing each other. Next, cross one arm over the other with the back of each elbow touching. 

Make sure that the backs of your palms are touching as well. Twist one hand into the side of the other so the front of your palms is now touching. It should look like your forearm is looped around the other. Hold the pose for 30 seconds, and then do the same motions with the other side on top. 

Cleansing Deep Breaths

Sometimes, the aches and pains not only affect us physically but can hamper our mental wellness as well. Doing this deep breathing exercise can help you feel more relaxed and help release the tension accumulated in your shoulders, back, and more. 


Final Note

Work-related pains can occur in all types of industries and work environments. Moving by doing exercises or stretches can reduce the aches that you experience. Build a habit of doing these exercises daily to loosen the tension in your muscles and feel more comfortable as you go through your tasks. 

Tricia Montano

Tricia founded Pain Free Working in 2019 due to suffering from degenerative disc disease in her L5-S1 from working an office job for the past 18 years. She and her team strive on finding and reviewing the best office equipment to help fellow pain sufferers find relief and to enable people like her to do their jobs comfortably.