Working mostly on the computer is not usually very taxing for the body and so in theory we should be spending every evening either at the gym or at least in some activity that exercises the heart and stretches those muscles.

It is a common complaint for people in my business to get aches and pains around the joints and especially in the shoulders and neck area.

For me the pain had become unbearable when ever I stretched out my arms in a yawn or just reached to plug in my computer -but there is hope for anyone in the same situation because this was taken away in just two visits to Portsmouth Massage in the UK. It is a tri-sports massage specialist but I discovered that you don’t have to be a sportsman or sportswoman to benefit from a sports massage.

I approached Paul Hickman?because I was in great pain when I was doing the most ordinary of everyday jobs. The pain took me completely by surprise when just putting on a shirt or changing a light bulb or anything which involved stretching out the arms.

Paul’s initial investigation found that sitting at the computer had caused several muscles to contract and there had been damage in two areas where I had stupidly attempted some weight training - which was just too much for those untrained muscles.

Paul was able to give a powerful massage which pushed deep into the muscles in my shoulders and chest to stretch the short muscles and get the blood flowing efficiently through the local blood vessels.

Advice for computer based working

So here is some advice if your work causes you to be sitting at a computer most of the time. They are easy to do at any time but even more effective if you have warmed up a little by going for a lunchtime walk or some light lifting exercises.

Stretch!? Lengthen those under-used muscles by some simple stretching exercises. These are what I did after the massage sessions:

1.? Cross your arms at the elbow in front of you and use the lower elbow to pull the other arm up under the chin towards the shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds keeping the pressure on (but don’t bounce).Repeat for the other arm.

2.? Stand straight in a doorway and put your elbow high on the frame parallel to your chest. Push the elbow up the frame for 15 seconds. Repeat for the other arm.

3. Stand as if you were on parade with your hands held behind your back and chest pushed out. Use one hand to pull the other arm further round and hold. Repeat.

Of course your masseur would recommend what would be best for you.

Deep massage requires great strength from the masseur. Paul Hickman competes in the incredibly demanding sport of Iron Man which pushes you to the absolute limits of swimming; cycling and marathon running, (hence the tri-sports part of the company name).

This training gives Paul the strength and stamina to massage the torso’s of whole rugby teams in one session!

But for me, the massage together with the recommended stretching exercises completely removed the pain and gave back full movement that had been restricted for so long.

Its a good lesson for us all.