Increased sitting, stress, Zoom time or Netflix watching can all lead to more tension in your neck and upper back. I see people in the office every day suffering from chronic tightness, soreness and pain in these areas. Below are some stretches that can help.

Specific Neck Exercise

The best way to loosen up the tight muscles in your neck is with 4 basic movements - Yes, No, Maybe & the Funky Chicken. Below is a short video demonstrating each move. Do this several times a day to stretch tight muscles and keep the joints in your neck mobile.

Chin Tucks

These are great to do throughout the day. They work to re-train your body to keep your head where it is supposed to be - in line with your shoulders. Studies show that for every inch your head moves forward it puts an additional 10 pounds of pressure on your spine!

No wonder so many people with poor posture have chronic tightness, sore muscles and neck pain. Your body isn't designed to hold that much weight all the time.

You can also do chin tucks while in the car and use the headrest as added resistance. Push the back of your head directly into the headrest and hold for 10 secs. Then relax and repeat 2-3 more times.

Chiropractic Care

Incorporating the neck stretches and chin tucks into your daily routine will help decrease muscle tension and improve range of motion in your neck. However, if you spend a significant amount of time a day working on a computer, or if you have spent years of your life already doing computer work, the stretches may not be enough.

Over time your spine adapts to this forward head posture and actually loses its natural curve and becomes straight! When this happens it can cause significant pain, chronic stiffness and degeneration in the joints of your spine. Chiropractic care is extremely effective in preventing permanent structural changes to the neck and helping to improve posture.

If you spend a lot of time looking down such a working on a computer, reading, writing, studying or checking your phone then chiropractic care may be a great addition to your health regimen.

For Kiddos

Online schooling has required kids to be glued to computer screens. I am seeing more and more children with poor posture and that forward head position mentioned above. This can lead to major issues down the line such as headaches, jaw issues, neck pain, spinal degeneration, limited mobility and more.

The saying goes, "As the twig bends so the tree grows". The sooner these issues are addressed the better!