There are a few key exercises that you should add to your daily exercise routine. The main one is called angel wings. Both my own physio and Dr Casparelli highly recommend it, it’s both a strenghtening exercise and a postural realignment exercise. Like a lot of the exercises you will find here, it’s much harder to do than it looks, depending on the state of your arms.

• Your feet should be a little bit apart and a few inches away from the wall
• Your shoulders should keep in contact with the wall
• Do three sets of 10 or a straight run of 30 if you can manage it
• Do a few times a day if you can. They’re easy to do in a bathroom cubicle
• I’m usually groaning with pain by 30 but see if more or less is more suitable to you
• It’s important to keep your shoulders horizontal, a mirror helps, or you can use the straight line from tiles on a wall.
• And no laughing at my video! (even if it does have a creepy anonymous mask.)

(Video should have stop and play buttons, not showing up - I’m working on it)

A Lumbar roll is good for supporting your lower back, while keeping your spine in a natural position. Although it directly improves your posture it also acts as a gentle reminder to sit properly. I use the classic McKenzie Original Roll. The four inch one. It’s not very expensive and very worthwhile. You can get one at www.physiosupplies.ie or http://www.backshop.co.uk. Or have a look at some other lumbar rolls at the backcare warehouse.

Don’t forget everything in your body is connected. The position of your head and neck will effect the rest of your body. Therefore monitor height is very important. Most people have their monitors way too low causing your neck to be at a slight angle all day. The top of your screen (not top of monitor) should be level with your eyes, while you are sitting up straight. One sign that your monitor is set up properly is when people start commenting that “your monitor is at a weird height, that can’t be good for you!”. I am blessed and cursed with a biomechanical feedback system (I mean because I have severe RSI)… so if my monitor is at the wrong height, the pain in my neck will inform me very quickly.

Luckily, modern monitors have adjustable stands. But monitor stands and drawers aren’t that expensive. And old telephone books are free. You can see in my (dodgy cameraphone) photo that I use a drawer and the box that it came in.

A really good exercise for neck pain is the nodding dog.