Computer Related Shoulder Pain Exercises

The same general guidelines apply when it comes to dealing with shoulder stress.

Make sure your work station is set up correctly, take regular breaks and try not to strain when looking at your computer.

Shoulder pain is commonly associated with poor posture – usually a combination of tight chest muscles and weak upper back muscles. So first up, stretch your chest. Do this by standing in a doorway, placing your forearms either side and leaning forward until you feel a stretch across your chest. Try for a 20 second hold three to five times per day.

The grand daddy of shoulder pain exercises is the band pull apart. You’ll need a resistance band for this, but they’re relatively inexpensive and can be kept hassle-free in your desk drawer.

Grab the band with both hands and a shoulder width grip and hold it out in front of you at chest height with straight arms. Pull the band apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together and keep going until the band lightly touches your chest. Pause briefly, then bring your hands in again. Do a set of 20 reps, then go back to what you were doing. Aim to do this five times a day, totaling 100 reps and add 10 daily reps each week.

Next up – scapula wall slides

Stand against a clear bit of wall with your heels, butt, back and head touching it, then bring your arms up to shoulder height. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and make sure your elbows, forearms and the backs of your hands are touching the wall, then slide your hands as high as you can. Do 10 to 15 reps, aiming to progress the range of motion over time.

Band Scapula Retractions

This one takes a little more planning, but is still easily doable in any office. Loop your band around a sturdy upright structure such as a coat rack or hat stand, or better still, tie it around a door handle. Hold the band with both hands and your arms straight in front of you and chest height. Step back until there’s tension on the band, then draw your shoulder blades together and squeeze them hard while keeping your elbows straight. The band won’t move far – a few inches at most, but focus on getting that upper back squeeze.

Band Rows

Stay in the same position as you were for the scapula retractions. This time though, you’re going to bring the band in toward your chest by bending your arms, rather than keeping them straight. You should still squeeze your shoulder blades together, but this brings your arms into the movement too.

For both of the above, use a resistance band that’s challenging for a set of 15 to 20 reps and complete three sets each day.

Computer related neck and shoulder pain needn’t bother you any more with just 10 minutes of in-office training every day.

Shoulder exercises - some of them can be performed in an office: