Chair Movement Therapy
A series of short videos demonstrating exercises that anyone can carry out while remaining seated. Each video focuses on different areas of the body that commonly experience tension or fatigue throughout the day including the neck, spine, forearms, wrists and hands. The benefits of this therapy will improve comfort, posture and over all well-being.
Introduction
Within your role in the dental team, or any healthcare setting, your work likely requires maintaining the same position for extended periods—often seated or standing in ways that can place significant strain on the body.
With this in mind, NHS Education for Scotland has commissioned Alice Mooney, Associate Lecturer in Foundation Human Biology at the University of St Andrews, to develop a series of short videos demonstrating simple chair‑based exercises—Chair Movement Therapy—that can be completed at any time during the working day.
Bookmark this page on your phone or other device so you can easily return to it and make these short movement breaks a regular part of your day. You may wish to expand the videos to full screen using the embed controls within each video.
Warm Up
3 minutes
Guide
- Start point to a chair-based movement program
- May also be adapted in standing and kneeling on hands and knees (all 4’s)
Spine and Neck
5 minutes
Benefits
- Mobilises (moves) spinal vertebrae and discs through natural curvatures of the vertebral column – neck (cervical), mid & upper back (thoracic) & lower back (lumbar)
- Mobilises c-spine vertebrae reducing stiffness in joints and tensions/tightness in supporting postural muscles including the, Trapezius, Levator scapulae and Sternocleidomastoid
- Creates space for the spinal cord assisting a healthy central nervous system
- Opens chest (pectoral) muscles (in version with arm extensions) which may become shortened and tightened in forward focused work postures
- Activates and strengthens upper back muscles (rhomboids) supporting sitting postures preventing upper back pain and fatigue that arises from muscle weakness
This assists turning and rotating the head.
Spinal Twists
5 minutes
Benefits
Combined with breathwork spinal twists:
- Decompress spinal stabilising muscles (erector spinae)
- Decompress the deep tissue muscle of the lower back (quadratus lumborum), mid back and upper back releasing tightness.
Guide
- Inhale – lengthen through spine
- Exhale – twist
Forearms
8 minutes
Benefits
- Stretch and release for forearm muscles that assist flexion and extension of wrists and hands
- Spinal twists decompress spinal stabilising muscles
- Creates space in the side body, ribs and lungs
- Gentle squeeze of internal organs such as lower gastrointestinal tract promoting circulation and healthy digestion/elimination
Wrist
3 minutes
Benefits
- Movement for wrist joints to release stored tension and compression
Hands
4 minutes
Benefits
- Self-care skills in massage therapy to use when experiencing fatigue in muscle and connective tissues, muscle cramp, muscle spasm
- Promotes local blood circulation to hands and fingers bringing oxygen, nutrients and warmth to peripheral tissues
- Eases symptoms such as joint pains and stiffness associated with some conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune), osteoarthritis, Raynaud’s, joint hypermobility syndrome