Why Your Shoulders Hurt at Work
Shoulder pain in desk workers is rarely a shoulder problem — it is usually a posture problem. When your desk, chair, or monitor is positioned incorrectly, your shoulders compensate. They hunch forward, elevate toward your ears, or rotate inward to reach your keyboard and mouse.
Over time, these compensations cause muscle fatigue, trigger points, and restricted blood flow in the trapezius and rotator cuff muscles.
3 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Your Chair Armrests Are Wrong — If your armrests are too high, your shoulders shrug up. If too low, your shoulders droop forward. Adjust armrests so your elbows rest at a comfortable 90-degree angle with shoulders relaxed.
- Your Keyboard Is Too Far — Reaching forward for your keyboard forces your shoulders to roll inward. Your keyboard should sit directly in front of you with your elbows bent at 90 degrees and tucked close to your body.
- Your Monitor Is Off-Center — Placing your monitor to one side forces your head and shoulders to rotate. Center your monitor with your body and keyboard to maintain symmetrical shoulder alignment.
Quick Shoulder Reset Exercise
Try this every hour: roll your shoulders up, back, and down in a slow circle five times. Then squeeze your shoulder blades together for 5 seconds and release. This resets your shoulder position and relieves tension before it becomes pain.