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Neck pain is extremely common, as just about everyone has a bout of it at one time or another. Something that may not have occurred to you is that neck pain can be directly connected to your posture.
With today’s heavy use of electronic devices and computer jobs consisting of sitting and looking at a screen all day, there is surprisingly little thought about how this lifestyle could impact your posture. We will be taking a look at the causes of neck pain, ways to help correct your posture, and how to protect your neck’s health to ensure optimum health in the long term.
Reasons for Neck Pain
The number one cause of neck pain is tension or muscle strain brought on by simple everyday activities like the following:
- Using a computer monitor that is positioned too low or too high
- Doing any heavy lifting while using poor posture or doing it too quickly
- Being bent over a desk for hours at a time
- Turning or twisting your neck in a jarring manner while doing exercise
- Hours of using poor posture while reading or watching TV
- Sleeping in an uncomfortable position
Another cause of neck pain is accidents or falls that can result in serious injuries:
- Whiplash
- Paralysis
- Blood vessel injury
- Vertebral fractures
A few of other causes of neck pain are listed below:
- Certain medical conditions like fibromyalgia
- Sprains
- Torticollis
- Small fractures of the spine from osteoporosis
- Ruptured disc
- Cervical arthritis or spondylosis
- Cancer involving the spine
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
- Infection of the spine – discitis, abscess, or osteomyelitis
Self-Care Tips for Neck Pain
There are a number of ways you can help relieve your neck pain.
- One recommended care option is applying a towel-wrapped ice pack on the area of pain for 15 minutes at a time, within the first 48 to 72 hours. Afterwards, use a heating pad on the same area. The ice helps to reduce inflammation, and the heat increases blood flow and healing.
- Adjust your normal daily activities and rest for a few days to help with inflammation.
- Gently stretching your neck by doing a variety of slow range-of-motion exercises including bending your neck up and down, from side to side, and ear to ear can help.
- You could gently massage the sore areas or find a friend to help you.
- Sleep on a firm mattress with a pillow made to support your neck.
Relieving Neck Pain with Positive Changes in Your Posture
Maintaining good posture not only makes you look more confident and feel better but also improves neck pain and other spinal issues. Here are some ways to get you focused on fixing your posture:
- Visualize a string. Imagine there is a string hanging from the top of your head and pulling you gently up towards the ceiling.
- Use kinetic tape on your back. This is a more extreme measure to take but can really enforce retraining your back. By using wide, non-stretch tape, place an x on your back from one shoulder to the opposite hip and repeat on the other side. Holding your shoulders back before taping can help get the right form you are going after. Another option is to purchase a posture corrector.
- Walk tall. While you walk, keep your head straight as though a book were on your head.
- Use a color or an object. Establish a reminder connected to a certain color or object to help you think about your posture throughout the day. This way when you see the item, it will cause you to think about your posture.
- Pay attention to your calves. Practice being aware of how your calves help with your balance and posture by adding a bounce in your step and relaxing. This will help the rest of your upper body to also relax and shift into automatic movements that assist an upright position. This will take strain off your back, shoulders, and neck, as well as engage your abdominal muscles.
Reducing Neck Pain from Daily Computer Work
For any individual who works long hours at a desk, it is extremely important that he or she maintain good posture to keep neck pain away. Here are several ways to help avoid further back pain related to sitting at your desk:
- Keep your hands, forearms, and wrists straight in a line and parallel to the floor.
- Elbows should stay in close to the body and be bent at either a 90 or 120-degree angle.
- Keep your knees at about the same height as the hips with the feet slightly forward.
- Shoulders should relax and the upper arms hang normally at the side of the body.
- Head should be level or bent slightly forward and looking straight ahead, preferably in line with the torso.
- Feet are flat on the floor or on a footrest.
- The back is supported properly with a lumbar pillow.
- The thighs and hips are supported by a cushioned seat and remain parallel to the floor.
Even if you sustain excellent posture while seated for long hours, being sedentary is not good for you. Changing your working position frequently throughout the day, as well as planning hourly walking breaks can greatly reduce the negative impacts of desk life.
Proper Spinal Alignment Alleviates Neck Pain
Upper cervical chiropractors specialize in these types of issues and are also an excellent resource when you are looking to ease your neck pain and to help you meet your posture goals. Misalignments in the top bones of the upper cervical spine are pretty common and can be a cause of neck pain and other issues in the body. The spine will shift in order to compensate if the top bones of the neck are out of alignment, which can irritate nerves and muscles of the neck and result in pain.
Here at Source Chiropractic and Wellness, we thoroughly examine our patients for any misalignment that could be the cause of their pain. If a misalignment is located, we apply a gentle adjustment that encourages the neck bones to return to their correct position. Often this simple, precise adjustment and some basic changes to daily posture are all that is needed reduce neck pain.
To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Cheney, call our Draper office at 385-331-7035. You can also click one of the buttons below.
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