Desk stretches for programmers (neck, wrists, back and eyes)

The stretches that help most at a desk are small and quick: a few neck turns and tilts, two wrist stretches, a seated twist and knee pull for the lower back, and looking into the distance for your eyes. Do a 2-minute set on every short break and a longer set of 5 to 10 minutes on your long break, and stand up between them. Hold times and repetitions below come from NHS and Mayo Clinic guidance.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you have pain, numbness, tingling or weakness, or an existing injury or condition, see a doctor or physiotherapist before you start, and stop any stretch that hurts.

We make Mindset, a Pomodoro timer with guided stretch breaks, so keep that in mind. The routines below need no app.

Before you start

• Move slowly, breathe normally and don't bounce. Mayo Clinic's guide to basic stretches says to keep stretches gentle, and that pain means you have gone too far.
• Go only as far as is comfortable, and build up repetitions slowly, as the NHS advises.
• For seated stretches, the NHS recommends a stable chair without wheels and your feet flat on the floor. If your desk chair rolls, use a fixed chair.

The NHS advises seeing a GP if symptoms of repetitive strain injury (pain, stiffness, tingling, numbness, cramps or swelling in the arms, wrists or hands) are not going away or are getting worse. For the back, the NHS back pain page treats numbness, tingling or weakness in both legs as an emergency. Stretching is not a treatment for either.

Set up your desk first

Start with the setup you sit in all day. Mayo Clinic's office ergonomics guide suggests:

• The monitor straight in front of you, about an arm's length away, with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level.
• Feet flat on the floor or on a footrest, with your thighs roughly parallel to the floor.
• Wrists straight and hands at or slightly below elbow level when you type.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology gives similar advice for your eyes: sit about 25 inches (an arm's length) from the screen and position it so you look slightly downward.

If you work on a laptop all day, the screen sits well below eye level. Raising the laptop and using a separate keyboard and mouse fixes that without lifting your hands.

Neck and shoulders

Sit upright for these four, shoulders relaxed and down, looking straight ahead.

Chin to chest

1. Slowly lower your chin toward your chest, keeping your shoulders level.
2. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. You should feel it along the back of your neck.
3. Lift your head back up slowly.

Source: Mayo Clinic's neck stretches for the workplace.

Neck rotation

1. Slowly turn your head toward your left shoulder as far as is comfortable.
2. Hold for 5 seconds, then return to the centre.
3. Repeat to the right.
4. Do 3 turns on each side.

Source: NHS sitting exercises.

Side neck stretch

1. Hold your left shoulder down with your right hand.
2. Slowly tilt your head to the right, ear toward shoulder.
3. Hold for 5 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
4. Do 3 on each side.

Source: NHS flexibility exercises. Mayo Clinic adds a tip: bring the ear to the shoulder, not the shoulder up to the ear.

Chest stretch

1. Sit forward, away from the back of the chair.
2. Pull your shoulders back and down, and stretch your arms out to the sides.
3. Gently push your chest forward and up until you feel a stretch across it.
4. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

The NHS describes this one as good for posture. Mayo Clinic's upper body stretches use a similar move with your hands clasped behind your head and elbows drawn back, held for 15 to 30 seconds.

Wrists and forearms

Typing and mousing keep your hands in one position for hours. These come from Mayo Clinic's wrist and forearm stretches.

Palm-down wrist stretch

1. Hold one arm straight out in front of you, palm facing down.
2. Bend the wrist so your fingers point toward the floor.
3. With the other hand, gently pull the hand back toward you.
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then switch arms.

You should feel it along the top of the forearm toward the outer elbow.

Palm-up wrist stretch

1. Hold one arm straight out, palm facing up.
2. With the other hand, gently bend the fingers down and back toward you.
3. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then switch arms.

This one works the inside of the forearm.

Wrist circles

1. Make loose fists and hold them out in front of you.
2. Slowly circle your wrists outward, then inward.

Mayo Clinic gives no count; five slow circles each way is enough. If your fingers tingle or go numb, see a doctor rather than stretching harder.

Lower back and hips

Long hours in a chair can leave the lower back and hips stiff. Three of these moves are seated and one is standing.

Seated upper-body twist

1. Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Cross your arms and reach for your shoulders.
3. Without moving your hips, turn your upper body to the left as far as is comfortable.
4. Hold for 5 seconds, then turn to the right.
5. Do 5 on each side.

Source: NHS sitting exercises.

Seated knee to chest

1. Sit upright and lift one knee toward your chest, holding it with both hands.
2. Keep your back straight rather than curling down to meet the knee.
3. Hold for about 30 seconds, then switch legs.

Mayo Clinic's seated stretches for the workplace uses this for the lower back and buttocks. Mayo also advises people with osteoporosis to avoid knee-to-chest stretches, so skip it if that applies to you.

Seated hamstring stretch

1. Sit near the front edge of the chair.
2. Stretch one leg out with the heel on the floor and toes pointing up.
3. Keeping your back straight, lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch behind the thigh.
4. Hold for about 30 seconds, then switch legs.

This one is also in Mayo Clinic's seated stretches.

Standing side bend

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by your sides.
2. Slide your left hand down the side of your leg as far as is comfortable.
3. Hold for 2 seconds, come back up, and repeat on the right.
4. Do 3 on each side.

Source: NHS flexibility exercises.

The simplest thing for your back is to stand up and walk. Mayo Clinic's ergonomics guide says to get up and move around as often as you can.

Eyes

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says screen use does not permanently damage your eyes, and its advice focuses on rest and comfort.

Look into the distance (the 20-20-20 rule)

Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet (about 6 metres) away for at least 20 seconds. This is the AAO's 20-20-20 rule. A window works best.

Blink on purpose

People normally blink about 15 times a minute, but the AAO says that drops to about 5 to 7 times a minute while looking at a screen. On a break, close your eyes fully and slowly about ten times, then rest them closed for a few seconds. During work, the AAO suggests making a conscious effort to blink more often, and keeping artificial tears at your desk for when your eyes feel dry.

Fix the light

The AAO notes that a room that is too bright or too dark tires the eyes, and suggests a matte screen filter to cut glare. If your eyes still feel strained after you have adjusted your workspace, the AAO recommends seeing an ophthalmologist.

A 2-minute routine for short breaks

Use this on every short break, and stand up for at least part of it.

Step	Stretch	Time
1	Look at something at least 20 feet away	20 seconds
2	Chin to chest	15 seconds
3	Side neck stretch, both sides	30 seconds
4	Palm-down wrist stretch, both arms	30 seconds
5	Chest stretch, one long hold	10 seconds
6	Seated twist, once each side	15 seconds

That adds up to about 2 minutes. Swap in other stretches for the area that bothers you most.

A 5 to 10 minute routine for long breaks

Use this on your long break, for example after every fourth pomodoro.

Step	What to do	Time
1	Walk: get water, take the stairs, step outside	2 minutes
2	Chest stretch, 5 holds of 5 to 10 seconds	1 minute
3	Neck rotation, 3 each side	40 seconds
4	Side neck stretch, 3 each side	40 seconds
5	Palm-down and palm-up wrist stretches, both arms	1.5 minutes
6	Wrist circles, 5 each way	20 seconds
7	Seated twist, 5 each side	1 minute
8	Seated knee to chest, each leg	1 minute
9	Seated hamstring stretch, each leg	1 minute
10	Look into the distance, then ten slow blinks	40 seconds

The full routine takes about 10 minutes, or 8 without the walk. On a busy day, do steps 1, 5 and 10 plus one section you need most, which takes about 5 minutes.

How to make it stick

The hard part is stretching at 3 p.m. in the middle of a bug. A few habits help:

• Tie the routine to something that already happens, such as the end of each focus round. If you use a timer, read our guide to Pomodoro for programmers for how to pick round lengths.
• Keep the short routine short. Two minutes is easy to say yes to.
• Track whether you stretched or skipped. A week of marks shows where the routine breaks down.
• Let a reminder do the remembering. Our list of the best break reminder and stretch apps for Mac compares the options.

Where Mindset fits

Mindset is our Pomodoro timer for Mac and iPhone, and it is not released yet. It is coming to the App Store, and the Mindset page has the details.

Its breaks come with guided routines for the same areas this guide covers: neck and shoulders, wrists, lower back, and eyes. Short breaks get a short routine and long breaks a longer one. You mark each break Stretched or Skipped, and reminders pause during meetings and leisure time. Like this article, Mindset's routines are general exercises, not medical advice.

FAQ

How often should programmers stretch?

The sources we used don't give one number for how often to stretch. The AAO's 20-20-20 rule covers your eyes every 20 minutes, and Mayo Clinic advises getting up and moving as often as you can. A practical rhythm is a 2-minute routine on every short break and a longer one every couple of hours.

Can desk stretches prevent RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome?

No stretch can promise that. The NHS lists poor posture at work among the causes of RSI, so desk setup and regular breaks matter too. If pain, tingling or numbness in your hands or arms does not go away or gets worse, see a GP.

Is the 20-20-20 rule enough for eye strain?

It helps, but it works best with the rest of the AAO's advice: screen at arm's length and slightly below eye level, less glare, more blinking, and artificial tears when your eyes feel dry. If your eyes still feel strained after those changes, see an ophthalmologist.

Should a stretch hurt?

No. You should feel gentle tension, not pain. Mayo Clinic says pain means you have stretched too far, so ease off, and stop if it still hurts.