If, for instance, you find yourself more sedentary than usual, your body will actually start to adapt to that behavior, explains Vikash Sharma, a doctor of physical therapy at Perfect Stride Physical Therapy in New York City. “All of the tissues that are responsible for sitting will become better for sitting,” he says — tissues surrounding the joint may shorten, for example, limiting the tissue’s mobility and ushering in aches and pains. RELATED: 10 Ways Staying Fit Boosts Your Health The same phenomenon can happen to other parts of the body when you spend too much time in one position. Looking at a screen for too long? Hello, eyestrain! Fortunately, you can get a whole lot of relief with targeted stretches and movements throughout the day. “Your body is meant to move. Movement is the most powerful form of medicine out there,” says Dr. Sharma. Here are nine fixes that can help. At your desk, practice pelvic tilts, which activate your lower back and spine. “Think about your pelvis like a bowl that’s filled with water. Try to spill the bowl forward and then backward,” he explains. Your lower back should arch on the forward movement and flatten out in the backward phase. Aim to perform 10 every 30 minutes. RELATED: Top Exercises for a Stronger Back
2. Loosen Up Your Hips With Targeted Stretches
Sitting at a computer in a fixed position tightens up your hips. “In the seated position, you’re closing the angle down between the thigh bone and your abdomen and trunk,” explains Sharma. The key here is to move your body in the opposite direction. Take a quick break for an active hip flexor stretch, he recommends. Stand up and bring your heel up toward your butt and grab onto your foot to stretch the quadriceps (quad) muscle. Introduce range of motion by moving your knee forward and back, which will activate the gluteus (glute) muscles and stretch the hip flexor. Repeat on the other side. RELATED: How to Stretch When You’re in Pain
3. To Lessen Shoulder Stiffness, Take Deep Breaths
If stress is prevalent throughout your day, there’s a good chance it’s causing tightness and stiffness in your upper back, neck, and shoulders. Changing your breathing patterns is key to opening up these areas, says Sharma. “Stressed out breathing is shallower,” he explains. What happens is that instead of using your diaphragm to breathe, you end up using accessory muscles to inhale and exhale, which are located in the upper rib cage and neck. The result: rapid breathing. Focus instead on diaphragmatic breathing — slow, deep, longer “belly” breaths. You should be able to feel your stomach move out as you breathe in and fall as you breathe out. “I work with some people in the clinic and when we address their breathing, their pain levels in general drastically reduce,” Sharma says. RELATED: 8 Tips for Beginning Meditators
4. Soothe Neck Strain by Sitting Up Straight
If you’re reading this article on a computer screen right now, take a minute to analyze your position: Are you leaning forward? “The most common problem we find with neck pain is when people sit at a desk or computer for long periods of time, their head starts to lean forward as they get closer and closer to the screen,” says Joel Press, MD, the physiatrist-in-chief at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. This posture will overload and strain the muscles in the back of the neck: “It’s like trying to hold an 8- or 10-pound bowling ball a foot away from your body,” he says. The fix: Pull your head back toward the center of your body and sit with your head centered over your shoulders, he advises. RELATED: 5 Tips to Prevent Neck Pain
5. Give Hands a Break Regularly
Typing up a storm? You might be crushing your to-do list, but it can leave your hands and wrists in pain. “When you’re typing for long periods of time without taking a break, it can cause the muscles to get very tense and fatigued. Just like with any other muscle, when you’re fatigued, lactic acid can build up and there can be cramping and stiffness,” says Dr. Press, who recommends giving hands a break every 30 minutes. Try this easy stretch from Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California: Make a fist with each hand, hold, and open your hand to spread fingers wide. Repeat three times. RELATED: 8 Hacks That Can Help RA Hand Pain
6. Stretch and Roll Out Aching Feet
Spending most of the day in shoes deprives feet of the sensory input they need to perform at their best, says Sharma. To get them back online, there are two exercises you can do. First: toe yoga. In a standing position, try to lift your big toe off the ground by itself (the other four toes should stay firmly on the ground). Next, try lifting the four little toes off the floor while the big one stays put. If you can’t do it yet, that’s a skill worth working toward, as that type of mobility helps guard against foot dysfunction. Sharma also recommends keeping a tennis ball or lacrosse ball under your desk to reduce foot sensitivity. “Take your shoes off at your workstation and roll the ball on the underside of your feet, which provides sensory signals to wake up the connection between your foot and brain,” he says. RELATED: How to Relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Foot Pain
7. Look Across the Room Regularly to Ease Eyestrain
Eyestrain — or computer vision syndrome — is triggered by spending prolonged periods of time in front of a screen; symptoms include headaches, blurred vision, dry eye, and neck and shoulder pain, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). It’s easy to get lost in your work, but to both prevent and reduce eyestrain, if you’re working on a computer, the AOA recommends practicing the 20-20-20 rule: take a 20-second break to look across the room (at something 20 feet away) every 20 minutes. If it’s tough to implement, set a timer, a calendar reminder, or use an app (such as BreakTimer or Stand Up!) to remind you to regularly stop and stare at something else. RELATED: Why Zoom Calls Are So Draining — and How to Do Them Better
8. Lessen a Headache With Self-Massage
Headaches can have many triggers, but a common reason for the pain is related to muscle strain that comes from sitting at a desk or computer for too long, Press explains. Again, you’ll need to take a break (notice a theme?). If your headaches are related to digital eyestrain, then following the 20-20-20 rule from the AOA can help. Otherwise, Press recommends using massage balls near the back of the head to decrease tension.
9. Relieve Menstrual Cramps With Cat-Cow
Period pain is familiar for many women. In a study published in the Journal of Pain Research, 84 percent of the more than 400 young women surveyed reported experiencing it. Among those, one-quarter reported having pain that was so bad they need medication or had to miss out on activities because of it. Specific yoga exercises, combined with breathing, have been shown to alleviate cramps, according to a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health from July 2016. In that study, yoga poses such as Cat-Cow, Child’s pose, and Downward Dog were all found to help. RELATED: 10 Home Remedies to Relieve Menstrual Cramps
