Top 5 Upper Body Exercises To Reduce Pain and Stiffness

So often we’re told that exercise is the best form of medicine and yet the majority of us don’t do enough of it! This could be due to a combination of insufficient time, lack of motivation or just not knowing where to start. Luckily, here are my top 5 upper body exercises that can be performed by anyone anywhere!

1.Foam-rolling of the thoracic spine

A common problem we see in the clinic is that people develop stiffness in their thoracic spine from prolonged sitting whether at work or at home. This exercise is a great tool to start opening these joints again to get your thoracic spine moving better.

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2. Bows and arrows

Bows and arrows is an example of an exercise that can be performed without requiring any equipment. It is a great way of getting our thoracic spine moving better as well as stretching the muscles in our upper back, shoulders and chest area.

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3. Cat Cows

Cat cows is a convenient exercise that can be performed anywhere regardless of whether it is at home, at the gym, or even at work. The purpose of this exercise is to get each segment in our spine (lower back, upper back and neck) moving together in unison to improve our overall mobility.

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4. Wall angels

Wall angels is one of my personal favourites because it’s great for improving our thoracic mobility whilst also giving our shoulders a well needed stretch. I imagine most of us would have access to a wall somewhere, so give it a go. Trust me, it’s much harder than it looks!

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5. Chin tucks

In recent times, we tend to find ourselves staring at a computer screen or at our phones for extended periods which can have implications for our neck. Chin tucks are often prescribed by physiotherapists to assist with mobility and improving our posture.

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Give each of these exercises a go and let us know how it went. Your upper body will thank you in the long run!