Self Massage Techniques for Work From Home Aches

With the majority of Singapore’s population working from home and non-essential businesses closed -- working adults withneck painandback painfrom working at their desk are now unable to go out for massages to relieve tense muscles. Thus, we are bringing self massage solutions that you can perform at home to get rid of neck and back aches. From neck, back and hand aches, oursports massagetherapist,Wei Xinhas got you covered.

Massage the Aches Away Yourself

Self massages are a good targeted way to relieve tense muscles and allows you to build awareness of your own body by finding areas of discomfort. By adding pressure at these tensed points, you are able to calm stressed muscles and melt away tension.

General guidelines about self massage

Self Massage is generally safe as you are able to control factors such as pressure and duration of each hold. It is important to listen to your body to avoid unnecessary injuries.

Amount of pressure

Do not place too much pressure or use too much force while massaging yourself. This could have a reverse impact and cause muscles to tense up due to pain. In terms of the level of discomfort on a scale of 0 -- 10, self massages should be around 3-5.

Duration of pressure

In order to loosen tense muscles, hold the pressure at the same spot for at least 15 seconds before moving on.

Self Massage for your Neck Pain

Aches at the back of the neck are common and can occur due to looking down at your laptop screen for long hours, or having aworkstation that is not optimal for your posture. The back of the neck can be a tricky spot to massage as the surface area is curved. If you are experiencing neck aches, you can use the hook of an umbrella to perform the following massage.

1. Identify the tense area
2. Place end of the curved umbrella hook at the tense spot
3. Pull umbrella forwards gently to create pressure
4. Hold on to the spot for 15 seconds before moving on.

Self Massage for Back Pain

类似于颈部疼痛,背部疼痛一般出现due to poor working posture. If you are experiencing back pain or areas that are harder to reach and apply direct pressure on, you can use self massage tools such as a massage ball or tennis ball.

1. Identify the tense area
2. Place the ball between the targeted area and a wall
3. Lean into the wall and roll the ball around with your back to find painful spots
4. Hold on to those spots for 15 seconds before moving on

Self massage For Hand Pain

This self massage technique targets strained hand muscles. This could occur if you use mobile devices such as your phone or tablets for a long period of time. Individuals who use their mouse for long durations may also experience discomfort in their hands and arms.

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1. Stretch out forearm, palm facing down.
2. Place massage ball under forearm, in between a flat surface (eg: table, floor, counter)
3. Roll the massage ball upwards towards yourself
4. If a spot is particularly tight, hold the pressure for 15 seconds. Alternatively, hold the pressure while you rotate your forearm clockwise/anticlockwise.
5. Flip your forearm around with your palms facing upwards, repeat the same movements.

1. Stretch your fingers out with palm facing yourself
2. 轻轻挤压的基础each finger with your other hand. This area is under your knuckles, closer to the palm of hands.
3. Turn your palm away from you and massage the top of your hand, kneading outwards, away from the wrist.
4. Bend your wrist downwards while kneading to give your hand a good stretch as well.
5. Apply pressure on the tense spot between your thumb and index finger. Hold for 15 seconds.
6. End off the massage by stretching your fingers. Repeat on the other hand.

There you have it! 4 simple self massage techniques to relieve aches and pains that you may get from working from home. You may also be interested to read aboutsimple stretches you can perform to prevent these aches and painsas well. If you are experiencing back pain or neck pain and would like to consult with our team of physiotherapists, give us a call tobook an appointment!