Physical Therapy Tips: 5 Simple Stretches Using Your Desk Chair

 

One thing any physical therapy expert will tell you - whether you're working from home or an office, sitting down for long periods of time can be detrimental to your health. We often correlate sitting with joint pain; however, it has several long-term health consequences.

According to Harvard Health “Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome.”

Although sitting can cause a variety of issues, stretching can help to heal and prevent these issues. Even though taking 5-10 minutes out of your workday to stretch may seem unproductive, it can help increase productivity by relieving stress and increasing energy levels.

 

Physical Benefits of Stretching

Stretching offers many physical benefits to your body. According to experts at Healthline, stretching daily can increase blood flow to your muscles, improve posture, expand range of motion, prepare your muscles for exercise, and relieve back pain. In fact, stretching your back often can increase strength and and reduce risk for future strains.

 

Mental Benefits of Stretching

In addition to the physical benefits, stretching can also relieve stress at work! According to experts at Marque Medical, stretching certain muscles can relieve tension. When this tension is relieved, it calms your mind and reduces stress. When stretching, focus on the specific areas that you feel tension in order to help manage stress. 

 

5 Stretches Your Physical Therapist May Reccomend

Trunk Rotation Stretch

 

Chest Opener Stretch

 

Upper Body Stretch 

 

Hamstring Stretch 

 

Neck Stretch

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Other Physical Therapy Tips for Neck and Back Pain

The stretches above can help to not only relieve neck pain and back pain, but also prevent it! Here are some additional tips to help relieve and prevent neck/back pain:

 

At MPOWER, we have created an amazing program for physical therapy near you in Nashville, TN and Franklin, TN. You will have access to a state-of-the-art facility with indoor and outdoor turf, advanced therapeutic technology, and the best physical therpaists around!

Request an appointment with us to get started incorporating physical therapy excercises into your daily life!

Author
Marina von Rutenberg Marina is the Marketing Coordinator for Elite Sports Medicine + Orthopedics. She has been writing and reviewing medical content since 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-von-rutenberg/

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