Court reporters are required to sit in one position and concentrate for extended periods of time, which is why many tend to develop neck and shoulder tension. Harvard University reports that seven out of ten people will experience neck and shoulder pain at some point in their lives. Julie Donnelly, a contributing writer for the College of Court Reporting’s “The Guardian” newsletter, reports that our levator scapulae muscles, otherwise known as our “shrug” muscles, tend to shorten as we write for long periods of time, which may cause shoulder discomfort and headaches.
To minimize neck and shoulder tension/discomfort, as well as tension-type headaches, Stanford University suggests taking frequent breaks or microbreaks. Unfortunately, court reporters may not be able to take breaks often, so Planet Depos thought it important to pass on this simple set of neck and shoulder exercises by Fitsugar.com that may be performed while at your writer.
1. Inhale and lift your shoulders toward your ears, taking three slow counts to raise them. Exhale and let your shoulders fall, giving into gravity. Repeat five times.
2. Gently lower your right ear toward your right shoulder, then slowly switch sides. Don’t hang in any one position for too long, as this isn’t really a stretch — super-tense neck muscles don’t like to be stretched. Just try to get your stiff, tense neck moving around. Repeat five times on each side.
3. Tuck your chin toward your chest, taking three slow counts to do so. Really isolate the movement so just the neck is moving; don’t round the upper back. This move provides a stretch for the muscles in the back of the neck. Then lift your head and lower it behind you, gazing at the ceiling to stretch the throat. Repeat three to five times.
A quick stretch that may be performed during a pause or lull in the testimony provided by VerbatimStudies.com entails stretching your right arm in front of you and across your chest, as if you were grabbing something on your left side, bringing your left arm over and in front of your right arm, gently hugging your right arm in towards your chest, and then repeating this stretch for the other arm/shoulder.
These exercises are meant to help relieve tension, not to address painful repetitive stress issues. If you are experiencing neck and shoulder pain, please consult your physician.
Harvard Medical School suggests that “A Little Dose of Exercise Goes a Long Way,” so even doing just two or three of these stretches every day is better than not doing any at all. Please consult The University of Toronto’s Workplace Exercises for a more comprehensive set of stress-relieving stretches.