Shoulders · Seated or Standing
Shoulder rolls
Slow circles of the shoulders: up toward the ears, back, down and round. A good first movement before holding any stretch.
- 10 backward, then 10 forward
- Movement
How to do it
- Sit or stand tall with your arms hanging loosely by your sides.
- Lift both shoulders up toward your ears.
- Draw them back, squeezing the shoulder blades a little, then let them drop down.
- Make ten slow circles backward, then reverse for ten forward.
How long
Ten slow circles backward and ten forward, about 30 seconds in all.
What you should feel
Easy movement around the tops of the shoulders and the upper back. It should feel loose, not strained.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Catching or clicking pain in the shoulder: make the circles smaller or stop.
Variations
- Standing. The same, standing with your feet hip-width apart.
- Shrugs. Just lift and lower the shoulders without the circle, as in the NHS office exercises.
Common mistakes
- Rushing the circles.
- Pushing the head forward as the shoulders go back.
- Holding your breath.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other shoulders 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, Wrists and hands for typing, 3 minutes and Screen break for eyes and neck, 3 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Office ergonomics best practices (PDF), Northwest Missouri State University EHS
- Exercises for office workers (PDF), West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- 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)