Hi, Dr. Garza from OneSpine Chiropractic. Today, I’m going to go over three exercises to help alleviate your neck pain at the workstation.
Exercise One: Cervical CAR
The first exercise is known as a cervical CAR. This is essentially going to be a neck roll with much more intention.
I want to make sure that I’m sitting upright. From this position, I’m going to bring my chin all the way down to my chest. Once I get close to my body, keeping my shoulders still, I’m going to rotate my head all the way in one direction.
Once I hit that end range, I’m going to tilt my head back. Then I’m going to try to see where the wall and the ceiling meet, and I’m just going to follow that wall all the way to my next shoulder. Bring my chin back down to my shoulder, rotate it back to the middle, and look up. That’s half a rep.
I’m going to go back the same way I just came. I’m going to look all the way down, rotate my head, lean back, and follow the wall and ceiling all the way across. Bring my chin back down to my shoulder, look down, and then straight ahead. That’s one full rep.
Exercise Two: Shoulder and Chest Opener
The second exercise is more of a shoulder opener or chest opener.
From here, I’ll turn my palms facing upward. I’m going to try to touch the wall in front of me or the desk in front of me. Reach for the ceiling. Reach for the walls to my sides. Then I’ll come back to my starting position.
That gives me a nice little reset to my posture and makes me more upright. I’ll do that exercise anywhere from two to three times every hour.
Workstation Ergonomics Checklist
The third is not necessarily an exercise, but more of a checklist for your workstation.
For good ergonomics, I want to make sure that my elbows are slightly above my wrists. Whenever I’m typing, I keep my mouse close to me. When I’m looking at the computer, ideally, the center of the screen is right at eye level for me.
If I have multiple computers or multiple screens, I want to make sure that they’re close to each other. Same thing—keep them at eye level. That way, I’m not turning to one side or bending one side more than the other. That will cause compensations and tight muscles down the road.
Hopefully, these help you out. If you’re still having neck issues, feel free to book an appointment through our website or give us a call.
