I get shoulder pain. Acupuncture kicked it, but the acupuncture doc also recommended this stretch, which is wonderful --

Roll your neck all the way back so your eyes are staring at a point as far behind you as possible (as if you were starting a yoga back bend.) Hold for awhile. You'll get more flexible at this.

Bring your head forward again. Bring your chin down to your chest. Hold awhile.

Lean your ear toward your right shoulder, as far as you can comfortably go. Keep your left shoulder down and relaxed. Hold awhile.

Lean your ear toward your left shoulder, as far as you can comfortably go. Keep your right shoulder down and relaxed. Hold awhile.

Repeat.

Feel better?

I do this several times a day.

the mister and I do a combo of foam rollering and yoga for low back / shoulder problems brought on by a combo of high mileage cycling and desk jobs.

(aging? I think I'm at least ten years older than you ufez...)

Ahem. The stretches that work best for us are these ones:

- T-stretch on the foam roller; lie down supine with the roller aligned along your spine, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. spread your arms to your side in a cruciform posture (stretches your pecs and chest) and roll laterally to release the delts and trapezius. You'll find lots of knots in/along your shoulder blades this way!

- "worm" stretch on the roller; lie down supine on either 2 rollers (advanced), one under the small of your back, one under your shoulderblades, or a roller under your hips and your shoulderblades on a stack of towels (beginner). Now "squirm" like a worm, alternately stretching diagonal arms and legs.

- Yoga: warrior pose, pigeon pose, staff pose, tree pose. Look 'em up!

I have a ton of other foam roller and stretching recommendations. Bike racers with desk jobs are famous for lumbar / mid-back and shoulder problems. Taylor Phinney (up and coming young superstar who lives in Boulder) is 20 and blew out his L5/L6 this spring. He goes to the same chiropractor I do.

I hassle the collegiate guys I coach about this all. the. time. They think that just because they are nineteen, they don't have to do this stuff. Damn kids.

ooh, I almost forgot - the one that works best for upper back and shoulder stiffness (the "cubicle monkey stretch", as it were) --

Stand up tall, put your arms out behind you, and lace your fingers behind your back, elbows straight. Now slowly bring your arms up behind your head, reaching your hands up as high as you can, and roll gently forward over your hips. Let your shoulders naturally open up. Don't push or force the stretch on this one. My shoulders invariably "pop" when I do this, but not in an uncomfortable way, more of an "ahh, back where they should be" way.

Bearwife - yeah, that's nice! Bonus: my coworkers are even more hesitant to bother me now.

And thanks lfr - I'm kind of the opposite of a cubicle monkey (both of my jobs require being on my feet moving around for the better part of 8-10 hours) but I think the stiffness is probably comparable. I'll definitely give those a shot and see if I can't fashion a mini-program for my needs.

And yeah, I dunno. Aging = getting older and stiffer = no longer a punk-ass 19 year old whippersnapper ;). I think this is at the forefront of my mind 'cause I'm hoping to start some climbing at a rock gym here in a few weeks (with the goal of doing a few outdoor climbs this Fall) and I'm less worried about the strength aspect than the upper-body mobility/flexibility part. Hopefully this will help quite a bit.

I followed the routine in No More Aching Back every day for a year, and it pretty much fixed me permanently. This was after Dr. Astin gave me a life-time prescription for pain pills, which I declined to fill.

Fuck you, Dr. Astin!

Two easy ones that totally cover it:

-Stand, lean forward with legs straight, and try to touch your toes; if you can, gently grip your ankles and pull your head between your knees. You can get some nice satisfying cracks out of your lower back with this one. Stand back up, roll your shoulders and arms outward and to the sides, and lean backwards before repeating the first step. This is a simple tai chi warm-up stretch, good for your hamstrings as well.

-Do sort of the opposite: The yoga cobra pose.
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Start off slowly and stretch more intensely as you progress, of course.

If someday you end up in really good shape and want something magic for your back and most of the rest of you, try getting into a routine of "Hindu push-ups".