Break Free From Back Pain

Upper Back And Neck Postural Relief Exercise

This simple yet powerful exercise will help reduce the tension that commonly builds up in the shoulders and upper back when sat at a desk, or driving.

When we sit at a desk for prolonged periods we tend to let our heads move forwards, our upper back becomes rounded, the chin pokes out and our lower backs slump. This causes stress and deformation of the ligaments and joints and leads to pain. If it goes on for 30 years there could be obvious postural changes.

Here’s a simple exercise to help:

This exercise is called the Bruger’s postural relief, after Mr Bruger who first developed and recorded it.

First stand up tall, look straight ahead, and then retract your head so that it stays level. Try doing this in a mirror as you should still be looking straight at yourself. If you are doing this correctly you’ll feel tension under the jaw, you’ll have a double chin and if you talk you’ll sound a bit nerdy. See photo for poor posture and correct posture.

Typical slumped Upper Back Posture

Backing away from your hand can help achieve correct posture

It’s Time To Stretch

Now reach up with your arms going in front of you, not to the side. Reach as high as you can with one arm and hold it there, then do the same with the other and alternate until they won’t go any further. This releases tension in the upper back and mobilises the upper thoracic spine.

Reaching Up And Mobilising The Upper Back

Now lower the arms in front of you and rotate the shoulders outwards, then extend the wrists. This stretches the chest muscles, strengthens the upper back muscles and mobilises the nerves into the hand.

Arms are rotated back and hands extended

Note the shoulders are not pulled back, but only rotated

This will help to reduce the effects of creep on the spine, for a full guide on causes of back pain look at our website www.backinform.co.uk