Exercises that help take head, neck pains out of office work

Exercises that help take head, neck pains out of office work

Lisagaye Tomlinson, a Sr. Operations Manager for Citrix, switches data from her old PC laptop to her new Mac laptop computer, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 in her Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. office.

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Story Published: Jan 5, 2009 at 5:08 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 5, 2009 at 6:14 PM PDT

By Good Housekeeping

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Working in an office can be a pain in the neck -- literally.

Sitting in front of the computer all day can lead to neck and shoulder pains, as well as headaches. But the right work breaks can really help.

Neck and shoulder pain at work is avoidable.

Jennifer Cook, executive editor of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, said a recent study found that office workers who took frequent breaks and did some simple exercises had 41 percent fewer headaches and 43 percent less neck and shoulder pain.

Every two to three hours, stand with your back and head against the wall to do some easy exercises.

"Press your shoulders back so they're (against) the wall and then release them," Cook said.

Repeat the exercise a few times before moving onto the next exercise.

"And move your chin forward and back, keeping it parallel to the ground," said Cook.

You can feel this stretching out your neck and shoulder muscles.

"Cup your hands behind your neck, and lift your head back and up slightly against the pressure from your hands and lower," Cook said.

And finally, Good Housekeeping suggests using sticky notes to remind yourself to relax. That will be good for your brain and your body.

Most types of neck pain aren't serious. But if you have neck pain so severe that you can't touch your chin to your chest for more than a few days, see your doctor.

You can help prevent neck and back pain if your computer monitor is at eye level and your knees are slightly lower than your hips. And try to use your chair's armrests.





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