Neck · Seated or Standing
Neck side bend
A gentle stretch along the side of the neck and the top of the shoulder, done sitting tall in your chair.
- Hold 15 to 30 s each side
- Held stretch
How to do it
- Sit tall with both feet flat on the floor and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
- Slowly tip your right ear toward your right shoulder, keeping your face looking straight ahead.
- For a little more, hold the side of the seat with your left hand so the left shoulder stays down.
- Hold, breathing normally, then bring your head back to the middle slowly and repeat to the left.
How long
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds on each side. Repeat two or three times if it feels comfortable.
What you should feel
A mild pull along the side of the neck opposite the way you are tipping, sometimes reaching the top of the shoulder.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Symptoms that travel down an arm.
- You have had a neck injury or surgery and have not been cleared to stretch it.
Variations
- Standing. Stand tall and let the arm on the stretched side hang heavy instead of holding the seat.
- Gentler. Skip holding the seat and tip the head only part of the way.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the head down with a hand.
- Letting the shoulder rise to meet the ear.
- Turning the face down toward the floor.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other neck stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
It is part of these ready-made routines: Two-minute reset, Neck and shoulders, 5 minutes and Screen break for eyes and neck, 3 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Flexibility exercises, NHS (UK)
- Don't just sit there: exercises for the office, Mayo Clinic Health System
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK) (general stretching guidance)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)