I was going to make a blog post about this, but it got WAY too long, so instead, here's a short (psych, still long!) list of tips from a pianist with a persnickety spine on how to keep a happy neck and back during quarantimes.

Your mid-back is likely in flexion for long periods. To lead it back to a neutral position, do a set of 10 "up-dogs" every hr or 2. For up-dog, lie belly down w hands flat, fingers forward, by shoulders. Relax bum and hammies. Use hands to push (peel) upper body up. Release.

When mid-back is in flexion, your neck is likely responding by being overly extended. Headaches galore. To neutralize, lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat. Looking at the ceiling, tuck chin down & toward floor, as if trying to make a straight line across the back of neck

For slightly more stretch, sit comfortably toward the edge of a chair, feet flat in front of you. Find a spot on the wall straight ahead of your natural gaze. This time, aim your chin directly back toward the wall behind you. Not tucking it down, but sending it straight back.

The effect of these two is to feel a "straight" line across the back of your neck. Do sets of 10. Pro-tip: I do the latter sets while sitting on the toilet, because you look SILLY making your extreme double chin doing this stretch. Just be sure your Zoom meeting camera is off!

Don't forget your hips! Squat like a frog for ten count, sit in butterfly, do some Warrior stances...often when we feel tightness in our low backs, the culprit is tightness in our hip flexors. Stretching these can relieve low back pain. Do them more than once each day.

Sleep on your back. On your side if you must. AVOID SLEEPING ON YOUR BELLY AT ALL COST. For me, belly sleeping is a total neck killer. Think about it - it’s in an extreme position for 8 hours.

Take a walk! And another. And another. Safely, with face protection. Walking just greases all the gears. There's science behind it, but I prefer to go with the phrase, "greases all the gears."

Straight up take an online yoga class! I highly recommend both Bridget Skaggs ( http://bridgetskaggs.com/yoga ) and Kristin Gore Yoga. They both know WAY more than me about how to support a healthy spine.

If you're suffering, call your chiropractor. They are supportive care, and many are taking patients who need intervention. They're doing this with the mindset that they are off-setting the load going to the hospital for back pain. This is how they flatten the curve.

The gist of what our bodies are dealing with is muscles along the back of our body doing MUCH more work than they're intended to do in order to protect our spine while we're in prolonged awkward positions (Netflix binging, make-shift desks, homework on the floor with kiddos).

I recommend becoming conscious of where your center of gravity is when standing or walking. Is it in front or down the back of your spine? Moving it back allows larger stabilizing muscles in the abdomen to do their jobs properly, which allows smaller muscles to relax.

I'm a pianist. Not remotely qualified to give health advice. These are anecdotal tips. I've been through the wringer with neck and back issues throughout my life, and feel like I have learned how to get ahead of them, and to be proactive about spinal health. Happy spines to you!