This wall stretch is the only thing that relieves tension in my shoulders after sitting at my desk all day

A woman stands in an empty room with a large window stretching against a wall. Her arms are straight, hands on the wall, and she is in a staggered stance so her right leg is behind her and her left leg slightly forward. Her torso leans forward as she bends into the stretch.

I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk and often don't realize that I’m hunching my shoulders while working at my laptop—until I feel painful knots in my upper back and neck caused by my posture.

The stiffness in my shoulders is so uncomfortable that I've tried various methods to get rid of it, from massages to physical therapist appointments and expensive electronic devices.

But I've found that there's nothing like good old-fashioned stretching to relax the muscles in my upper body and there's one stretch that I've come to rely on for daily relief.

How to do the shoulder wall stretch

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This is a move I came across during an exercise class and I found that it stretched the muscles in my upper body and shoulder joint like nothing else

Here's how to do it:

• Stand facing a wall and place both hands at shoulder height onto the wall.
• Take a few steps back so your arms are fully extended.
• Keep your back flat and lean forward so your head comes through your arms.
• Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, or move in and out of it if you prefer, three to five times.

The benefits of this shoulder wall stretch

This exercise always delivers a deeply satisfying stretch for me. According to Helen O’Leary, a physical at Complete Pilates, this is because it engages a range of muscles and joints.

"The position will stretch the pecs and lats which are the large dominant muscles around the shoulder," O'Leary says.

I find these muscles are often tight after a day slouched over my laptop, which is why I find the move so satisfying—but O’Leary says that this stretch helps in other ways too.

"This shoulder wall stretch also helps to mobilize the tiny joints of the spine and shoulder joint," she says. "These joints are surrounded by a fibrous capsule—stretching this capsule can help to maintain the range of motion of the joints.”

I do this stretch every day—usually multiple times—to give my muscles a break from slouching. It's helped relieve stiffness in my upper body and I'd recommend it to anyone dealing with the same problem.

If you find your lower body is also stiff, have a go at these hip stretches to undo the damage of sitting or try these beginner yoga poses.