Quick Stretches Doctors Can Do Between Patients

Desk to Defibrillator: Simple Stretches Every Medical Professional Can Do Between Patients (Without Looking Ridiculous)

Why Stiffness Is the New Epidemic in Medicine

In the fast-paced world of healthcare, it’s common to neglect our own bodies while caring for others. Long surgeries, marathon clinic hours, endless charting, and back-to-back patients turn even the most mobile professionals into hunched-over, tight-muscled statues. Doctors and healthcare workers know all about musculoskeletal health — but applying that knowledge to our own wellbeing? That’s another story.

Enter the “between-patient stretch” — a microbreak of movement that doesn’t require a yoga mat, gym shoes, or privacy curtain. You can do these discreetly in a hallway, nurse’s station, call room, or break area. This article presents a practical and lighthearted guide to keeping your body from falling apart shift by shift.

Common Tension Points for Healthcare Professionals

Before diving into stretches, let’s acknowledge the most abused areas in medicine:

• Neck and upper traps: due to craning over charts, screens, and patients
  
  
• Lower back: prolonged standing, poor posture, bad shoes
  
  
• Hips and hamstrings: from long sitting during documentation
  
  
• Wrists and forearms: repetitive use in procedures, typing, writing
  
  
• Feet and calves: hours of standing without adequate breaks
  

Rule of Thumb: If it feels tight, numb, or fatigued — it needs love.

Stretch #1: The “Neck Reset” (30 seconds)

Perfect for: between two patient consults or while waiting for labs to load.

• Sit or stand tall.
  
  
• Slowly tilt your head to the right, bringing your ear toward your shoulder.
  
  
• Hold for 15 seconds. Don’t lift the shoulder.
  
  
• Repeat on the left.
  

Bonus: Add gentle downward pressure with your opposite hand to deepen the stretch. Looks like you’re just “thinking deeply.”

Stretch #2: Shoulder Rolls of Freedom (20 seconds)

Perfect for: mid-rounds, post-scrub, or while refilling your coffee.

• Roll both shoulders backward in big circles for 10 seconds.
  
  
• Then roll forward.
  
  
• Focus on slow, deliberate movement — not frantic spinning.
  

This is the orthopedic equivalent of rebooting your upper body.

Stretch #3: The “Stethoscope Shrug” (20 seconds)

Perfect for: standing in line at the pharmacy or just outside the OR.

• Raise your shoulders as high as you can (like you’re saying, “I don’t know”).
  
  
• Hold for 3 seconds.
  
  
• Drop them suddenly.
  
  
• Repeat 5 times.
  

This helps release neck tension without making you look like you’re in a yoga commercial.

Stretch #4: Wrist Relief for the EMR Warrior (30 seconds)

Perfect for: charting breaks or just before scrubbing in.

• Extend your right arm straight in front of you.
  
  
• Use your left hand to gently pull your right hand down (fingers toward floor).
  
  
• Hold 15 seconds.
  
  
• Then pull the same hand upward (fingers toward sky) and hold 15 seconds.
  
  
• Repeat on the left.
  

Silent gratitude from your carpal tunnel will follow.

Stretch #5: Seated Spine Twist (40 seconds)

Perfect for: sitting at your workstation or waiting during a Zoom CMEs.

• Sit tall in your chair.
  
  
• Place your right hand on the outside of your left thigh.
  
  
• Twist your torso to the left, keeping hips stable.
  
  
• Hold for 20 seconds, breathing deeply.
  
  
• Repeat on the other side.
  

This counters the hunched charting pose we’ve all become too familiar with.

Stretch #6: The Standing Hamstring Wake-Up (30 seconds)

Perfect for: break room, empty hallway, or call room.

• Place one heel on a low stool or chair.
  
  
• Keep your leg straight and gently lean forward with a flat back.
  
  
• You’ll feel it in your hamstrings and lower back.
  
  
• Hold for 15–20 seconds on each side.
  

Not recommended while wearing tight scrub pants unless you want to entertain others.

Stretch #7: The Wall Calf Press (40 seconds)

Perfect for: a hallway with a wall or at the scrub sink.

• Place hands on the wall.
  
  
• Step one leg back and press the heel into the floor.
  
  
• Bend your front knee slightly.
  
  
• You’ll feel it in the calf of the back leg.
  
  
• Hold for 20 seconds each side.
  

This is gold for anyone doing 10,000+ steps in a hospital corridor.

Stretch #8: “The Coat Hook” Chest Opener (30 seconds)

Perfect for: undoing hours of hunching over charts and patients.

• Find a doorway.
  
  
• Place both arms at 90 degrees against the frame.
  
  
• Step through gently until you feel a stretch in your chest.
  
  
• Hold for 20–30 seconds.
  

Improves posture and opens up breathing.

Stretch #9: Ankle ABCs (1 minute)

Perfect for: sitting in meetings or while waiting on a long phone hold.

• Lift one foot off the ground and write the alphabet in the air with your toes.
  
  
• Switch sides.
  

This improves ankle mobility and circulation, especially after long periods of sitting or standing.

Stretch #10: “The Charting Child’s Pose” (Seated Version, 30 seconds)

Perfect for: end-of-shift reset or deep breathing break.

• Sit in a chair, knees wide.
  
  
• Lean forward, letting your chest drop toward your thighs.
  
  
• Rest your forearms on your knees or let them dangle.
  
  
• Breathe deeply.
  

Looks like you’re just sad over your paperwork — but really, you’re restoring your spine.

Tips for Making Stretching a Habit (Without Feeling Silly)

• Link stretches to routines: one stretch after every patient, during every coffee refill, or after each vitals check.
  
  
• Use mental cues: a beep from the monitor or pager = shoulder roll.
  
  
• Do it with a colleague — accountability helps.
  
  
• Pick your top 3 and rotate throughout the day.
  

Why It Matters More Than You Think

These small stretches:

• Improve circulation and flexibility
  
  
• Prevent chronic pain and injury
  
  
• Boost mood and reduce cortisol
  
  
• Offer mental micro-resets
  
  
• Model healthy behavior to colleagues and students
  

Taking 30 seconds for your own body isn’t selfish — it’s sustainable healthcare. You can’t pour from an empty cup (or crack joints if they’re rusted).

Stretching Is the New Scrub Culture

As doctors and healthcare professionals, we preach prevention but rarely practice it. These in-between stretches are a small act of self-care that pays big dividends. They require no equipment, no time off, and no gym membership. Just your body — and the choice to respect it.

You’re allowed to feel good during the day, not just at the end of it.