Neck
Suboccipital nod
Mobility · Seated or standing
- How to do it
- Fingertips at the base of the skull. Make a tiny yes-nod (chin slightly in) and release. Soft and slow, not a big chin-to-chest tuck.
- Dose
- 8 reps
- What you should feel
- A small release at the base of your skull
- Common mistake
- Big chin-to-chest nods or pressing hard with the hands.
- Make it easier
- Reduce the range until it is barely visible.
- Avoid this movement if
- Nodding brings on a headache or dizziness.
- Why DeskBreak uses it
- A tiny nod at the very top of the neck, where hours of looking at a screen tend to stiffen things first.
Stop this movement if it causes sharp or worsening pain, numbness, weakness or dizziness.
Evidence
General movement principle.
- Effectiveness of workplace interventions in the prevention of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and symptoms: an update of the evidence (Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2016)