Why your shoulders ache — and what to do about it before it turns into chronic pain.
He worked in finance.
Ten hours a day at a desk. Always rushing.
When he lay on my massage table for the first time, his shoulders were so tight they barely touched the surface.
“I think I’m just built like this,” he joked.
“I’ve had knots in my shoulders since uni.”
But that wasn’t his natural posture — that was compensation.
For a desk. For a screen. For a body that was slowly forgetting what movement felt like.
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Desk work isn’t easy on the body — it’s silent tension, all day long
Even if your job isn’t “physical,” it’s still demanding.
Sitting still in front of a screen, day after day, teaches your body to:
•Hunch the shoulders forward
•Lock the hips and lower back
•Tense the jaw while concentrating
•Forget how to breathe fully
•Stay mentally switched on — but physically frozen
And over time, this becomes your default posture.
You don’t notice the tension — until it turns into:
•Headaches
•Neck pain
•Pins and needles
•Shoulder stiffness
•Insomnia
•Shallow breathing
•Lower back pain
It’s not in your head. It’s in your muscle memory.
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Why massage makes such a big difference
You can’t stretch out years of desk tension in one gym session.
You need something that works with your fascia, your breath, your nervous system — not just your muscles.
Massage gives your body:
•Circulation to areas that have gone cold and tight
•Movement in muscles that haven’t been activated for hours
•Space for joints that have been compressed too long
•Calm for a mind that forgot how to switch off
It’s not just about loosening knots. It’s about repatterning your posture — gently and intelligently.
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What areas do I focus on for desk workers?
Most of my clients who work at desks need a targeted, custom approach that includes:
✅ Neck and shoulders – Where the weight of the day lives
✅ Upper back and shoulder blades – For tech posture and screen fatigue
✅ Forearms and wrists – Especially for those on laptops all day
✅ Chest and diaphragm – To open up the breath and release the “curling in”
✅ Scalp and jaw – To help switch off mental overload
✅ Lower back and glutes – Often tight from sitting without support
And yes — many of them say they didn’t even realise how much tension they were holding until it was released.
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One session won’t fix years at a desk — but it’s a start
One of my clients, a graphic designer, said after her second massage:
“I didn’t just feel better — I worked better. I could focus again. My brain felt quieter.”
Massage helps restore circulation, focus, and breath — not just mobility.
And the more consistently you come, the better your body learns to stay out of pain between sessions.
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How often should desk workers get massage?
Here’s what I usually recommend:
•Every 2–3 weeks for maintenance and prevention
•Weekly during intense deadlines or periods of burnout
•Monthly if you’re stretching and moving regularly outside of work
•Immediately if you’re feeling acute pain, tension headaches, or tingling
Even short, regular treatments can completely change how your body responds to long hours at the screen.
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Final thoughts: If your desk job is full-time, your self-care can’t be part-time.
You don’t need to quit your job to feel better in your body.
You just need to listen earlier — and act before the pain becomes the new normal.
Massage helps undo what the desk does.
It helps your posture breathe again, your jaw relax, your thoughts slow down.
📍 Golden Cross House, Room 203, 2nd Floor, London WC2N 4JF
📞 +44 7786 971943
🌐 www.londonmassage4u.co.uk
