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Standing backbend stretch: a super-effective break for desk work

How a standing backbend stretch helps relieve lower-back tension during a day at your desk.

Standing backbend stretch: a super-effective break for desk work

Фото: Andrea Piacquadio

Office work often means long hours of sitting, which strains the lower-back muscles and increases discomfort. Simple "opposite" movements, such as standing backbends, help restore the spine's normal position and relieve tension.[1]

"Regularly performing opposite movements restores the spine's balance, helps reduce pain and prevents injury."
Emotionless female secretary in casual wear sitting at table in contemporary workplace and tying ponytail during work

Фото: Andrea Piacquadio

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Place your hands on your lower back and arch backward until you feel light pressure.
  3. Return to the starting position. Repeat 5 times every hour or as needed.
[1]

Mayo Clinic also recommends regularly breaking up prolonged sitting with short stretches, including standing ones. Such movements improve circulation, reduce stiffness and help ease tension in the back and neck.[2]

In addition to backbends, it's helpful to include the bridge and seated trunk twists — they strengthen the core muscles that support the spine and help manage chronic back pain.[3]

Important: if you have health problems or your pain worsens, you should see a doctor. This article is preventive rather than curative.

Sources

  1. On-the‑job exercises to restore spinal alignment and reduce back pain — CDC / NIOSH
  2. Desk stretches help prevent pain and stiffness during prolonged sitting — Mayo Clinic
  3. Back exercises in 15 minutes a day (includes bridge and seated rotational stretches) — Mayo Clinic

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