Why Do My Shoulders Hurt From Sitting at a Desk?

If your neck is tight, your back aches, and your shoulders are creeping up toward your ears by lunchtime—you’re not alone. Desk work might be low impact, but it’s not easy on your body. Sitting all day, staring at screens, and juggling stress in silence? It adds up.

That ache in your low back, that tension behind your eyes, that feeling like your spine is slowly turning into a question mark? That’s not random. It’s your body telling you it’s had enough. Massage can help.

Why sitting all day hurts:

• It shortens your hip flexors and compresses your low back

• It rounds your shoulders and stiffens your neck

• It slows down circulation and lymph flow

• It encourages jaw clenching, shallow breathing, and tension patterns that are hard to shake

How massage helps undo it:

• Releases tight hips, glutes, low back, shoulders, and neck

• Restores mobility and helps you stand taller again

• Improves circulation so your body feels more awake and less heavy

• Calms your nervous system so your muscles can actually let go

What your session will focus on:

• Neck, shoulders, spine, hips, forearms—the classic desk stress zones

• Opening the chest to counteract all the forward hunching

• Releasing the nervous system patterns that keep you stuck in “go” mode

Signs massage might be exactly what you need:

• You feel stiff or achy by the middle of the day

• You get regular headaches or clench your jaw when stressed

• You notice your posture collapsing into your chair

• You’re sick of powering through and ready for actual relief

Massage can’t change your job—but it can help your body recover from it. You don’t have to carry your desk in your shoulders anymore.