Relax Your Neck and Back with These Office Stretches

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Article | 15 min read

Relax Your Back And Neck

More than ever, wellbeing plays a crucial role in our daily work life. While eating healthy, getting adequate sleep and work-life balance matter, there is a growing need for comfort and ergonomics at the workspace.

We spend, on average, 82,000 hours working in our lifetime, and our bodies are not designed to sit all day in front of a screen - they’re designed to move. A recent study commissioned by Logitech has found that more than half of people working in the US and Canada are feeling some pain or discomfort at the end of a workday, especially in the neck and back.Source: Quantitative research commissioned by Logitech in 2024 in the USA (N=507), Canada (N=512), China (N=508) and Taiwan (N=510).

Patricia Soave, expert in wellbeing and founder of Wellness Attitude in Switzerland, has developed a method to reduce tensions in the neck and back based on 4 principles:

Principle #1

Switch from passive to active posture
Improve your posture by adopting an active sitting position. Straighten your back, align your neck with your spine, lower your shoulders, pull in your stomach and place your feet flat on the floor below your knees. Try to adopt this position regularly, but especially when performing the stretching exercises suggested.

Principle #2

Improve spine mobility
To maintain optimal back mobility, it's important to include movements in all 4 axes of the spine: flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation.

Principle #3

Breathe better
During stretching exercises, inhale and exhale for at least 4 seconds through the nose when you feel the muscle tension. Repeat this breathing cycle 3 times for each movement.

Principle #4

Build habits
Regularity is the key to success. Repeat these movements every day to feel the benefits of your posture and a reduction in muscular tension.
Take hourly breaks to stretch and align your spine.

Here are some short stretching exercises that you can do at the workspace, to efficiently release tensions in your upper body throughout the day:

Neck Double Chin

Step 1

Place two fingers at the base of your chin.

Step 2

Gently tuck in your chin and pull your head back. At the same time, use your fingers to keep your chin tucked in for the duration of the exercise.

Step 3

Hold the final position, exhaling through your nose for 3-5 seconds.
Relax your neck for a moment (let it come forward). Repeat this movement several times

Neck Flexion

Step 1

Tuck in your chin using two fingers of one hand.

Step 2

Place the other hand on the back of your head and apply gentle downward pressure, pulling your head towards your chest.

Step 3

When you feel a stretch at the back of your neck, hold the position for 3 breathing cycles

Upper Trapezius Exercise

Step 1

Place one of your hands on the opposite side of your head. Place the other arm behind your back.

Step 2

Put your shoulder down and bend your head towards your shoulder.

Step 3

Apply light pressure to the head with your hand to achieve a deeper stretch.
Hold the position for 3 breathing cycles and repeat the exercise on both sides.

Back Extension

Step 1

Seated starting position, arms outstretched, hands crossed in front of the body, index fingers extended

Step 2

Inhale, extend your arms above your head, arching your back until you feel a gentle tension in the front of your body. Exhale slowly as you lower your arms to your sides.

Lateral Back Flexion

Step 1

Seated starting position. Place right hand around left wrist, extend arms above head

Step 2

Exhale as you bend to the right. Inhale as you bring your arms above your head and exhale as you lower your arms in front of you.
Do the same on the left.

Spine Rotation

Step 1

Cross your outstretched right arm in front of your body, pressing against your left thigh with the back of your right hand. Put your left hand behind your neck, elbow at eye level.

Step 2

Follow the elbow with your eyes and open until you feel a stretching movement in your waist and lower back. Take another full breath, trying to go further.
Inhale, bring arm back in front of body, switch sides.

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