3 Simple Exercises to Fix Neck & Upper Back Pain This Back-to-School Season
It's back-to-school season, which means longer days at desks, more time hunched over laptops and phones, and — for a lot of parents — extra hours behind the wheel on carpool duty. All of that adds up to one very common complaint we hear at Pure Movement: neck pain, tight upper back muscles, and that rounded-forward, "tech neck" posture that creeps in without you even noticing.
The good news? You don't need special equipment, a gym membership, or hours of your day to start feeling better. In the video above, Kaela Frailing, DPT, walks through three simple exercises you can do almost anywhere — at your desk, in the car line, or between classes — to relieve tension and start correcting your posture today.
Why Back-to-School Season Is Rough on Your Neck and Upper Back
Between backpacks, screen time, and sitting for long stretches, both kids and adults tend to fall into a forward-head, rounded-shoulder posture this time of year. Over time, that posture puts extra strain on the muscles at the base of the skull and across the upper back, which is exactly where a lot of tension headaches and chronic neck pain get started.
The exercises below are designed to directly counteract that pattern — strengthening the muscles that pull your head and shoulders back into a healthier position.
The 3 Exercises
1. Cervical Retraction
Place a finger on your chin, then gently tuck your chin backward to make a "double chin." This activates the deep neck flexor muscles and helps reverse forward head posture — one of the biggest contributors to neck tension.
2. Snow Angels
Stand with your back against a wall, shoulder blades pulled back and down. Slide your arms up and down along the wall, like you're making a snow angel, stopping right before your arms lift away from the wall. This opens up the chest and activates the muscles between your shoulder blades that tend to get weak and overstretched with poor posture.
3. Wall Shoulder Rotations
Raise your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, elbows bent, and externally rotate your arms until your hands touch the wall behind you. This stretches the front of the chest and shoulders — areas that get tight from hours of rounded-forward positioning.
How Often Should You Do These?
Aim for 5–15 repetitions of each exercise, every few hours throughout your day. Because they require no equipment and take just a minute or two, they're easy to work into a school pickup line, a work break, or a few minutes before bed. Consistency matters more than intensity here — small, frequent doses of movement do more for posture than one long stretching session.
When It's More Than Just Tightness
These exercises are a great starting point for everyday tension and posture-related discomfort. But if you're dealing with persistent neck pain, upper back pain, or symptoms that aren't improving with home exercises, it may be time for a closer look.
Kaela offers cash-based physical therapy at Pure Movement, which means your care is built entirely around your needs — not around what an insurance company will approve. That looks like:
Full 30–60 minute 1:1 sessions with Kaela, not 15 minutes split with an aide
A treatment plan driven by clinical judgment, not visit limits or prior authorizations
No referral needed — direct access to get started faster
Often HSA/FSA eligible, so you can use funds you've already set aside
If back-to-school season has your neck and shoulders feeling worse for wear, reach out to schedule a visit with Kaela to talk through what's going on.