Neck pain in office workers relieved with 2 minutes of Band exercise!
Neck pain combined with soulder pain is a common problem among desk workers, particularly those using a desktop computer. One study noted a 50% incidence of neck/shoulder pain over a 1-year period.
Lars Andersen PhD and his colleagues in Copenhagen, Denmark, completed a randomized controlled trial of 198 office workers with neck/shoulder pain and tenderness to palpation. The researchers wanted to develop an “exercise program as simple and feasible as possible.”
They chose elastic band tubing with handles for an exercise routine using only 1 exercise for either 2 or 12 minutes. The subjects were randomly assigned to either a non-exercising control group, a 2-minute exercise group, or a 12-minute exercise group. The exercise groups performed a lateral raise exercise in the scapular plane to 90 degrees of abduction with elastic tubing. The exercises were performed 5 days per week (10 minutes and 60 minutes per week in the 2- and 12-minute groups, respectively) for 10 weeks. Female subjects started with low to middle resistance tubing, while the male subjects started with moderate strength resistance tubing. Both groups gradually increased their repetitions and resistance to moderate to high resistance tubing. The 2-minute group performed the exercise for one set to failure, while the 12-minute group performed 5 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
After 10 weeks, both exercise groups significantly reduced their neck/shoulder pain and tenderness, and significantly increased their strength compared to the control group. There was no significant difference between the exercise groups. Training adherence was ~65% for the exercise groups. The researchers concluded that as little as a single set of 2-minute Band exercise to failure can significantly reduce pain and tenderness in office workers with neck/shoulder pain. These findings have implications for both employees and employers: a simple exercise with Band tubing performed 10 minutes a week can significantly reduce neck/shoulder pain in office workers, potentially leading to improved productivity and reduced healthcare costs.
REFERENCE: Andersen LL, et al. Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain: Randomized controlled trial.. 2011 Feb; 152(2):440-6.
