“These are all great to do on a daily basis, especially if you work at a desk or phone all day,” she says. We tapped Esquer for her favorite PT-approved moves that target neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. “Working to improve upper back mobility will naturally help relieve tension and pressure in the neck.” “Only working on the neck muscles with massage can miss the underlying issue: the shoulders rounding forward and the upper back becoming super stiff,” Esquer explains. The good news is, you can banish a lot of upper body discomfort with some every day, easy-on-the-body stretches and low-impact mobility exercises right at home. Giving yourself a soothing neck massage can feel amazing in the moment, but doesn’t always relieve deeper structural issues at play, which can cause the pain to return again and again. “The neck often takes on more pressure from stress and tension build-up, since it falls forward when we look at a computer screen or phone,” says physical therapist Jennifer Esquer, PT, DPT, and creator of The Mobility Method and The Optimal Body.

Read on for step-by-step instructions and watch Esquer's demo video above for visual cues and tips on proper form.

Next time you’re fidgeting from discomfort, try these stretches for neck and upper back pain at home for both instant and long-term relief. Upper back and neck soreness can also lead to issues like headaches, poor sleep, and decreased range of motion. Upper back pain is a common ailment for a lot of people-whether you're prone to rounding your shoulders while writing emails, occasionally sleep funny on your neck, or spend your days lifting and moving heavy objects (that includes your little ones, too). Add stress into the mix, and you've got yourself a recipe for serious discomfort. This class helps prevent and heal the problems that are caused by sitting at the computer. The effectiveness of a neck and shoulder stretching exercise program among office workers with neck pain: A randomized controlled trial.Long days of sitting at a not-quite-ergonomically-sound desk set-up can wreak havoc on the neck, shoulders, and upper back (and don't even get us started on the lower back).

Stretching: The new mobility protection.

Sit up straight in your chair with your hands on your thighs and your feet flat on the floor. Strength training and stretching versus stretching only in the treatment of patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized one-year follow-up study. Yoga neck rolls can reduce neck and shoulder pain and help alleviate headaches caused by neck pain, according to yoga instructor Jan Baker in her book, 'Yoga for Real People.' This modified version of Bakers exercise can be performed at your desk. Seated Cat/Cow Sequence This seated stretch is great for helping you get the hunch out of your shoulders and for preventing knots from forming around your shoulder blades. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Use the desk yoga poses below to open the upper body and prevent pain in your neck from causing injuries down the road. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations.

Desk yoga for neck and shoulders