Part of the treatment and prevention of computer neck pain involves examining workplace ergonomics. It’s not hard to conclude that bad ergonomics leads to neck pain.
You can achieve better posture for the neck and upper back by adjusting the placement of the computer monitor, keyboard, and examining desk and chair adjustments.
Good Posture For Sitting At A Computer Workstation
While sitting at your computer workstation, look straight ahead and check if:
- Your eyes should directly point at your computer screen’s top third area.
- When typing, your arms and the floor should be parallel to each other.
- Your elbows should always be at your side.
- Your thighs and the floor should be parallel, and your feet should lie flat against the floor.
If your workstation setup doesn’t allow you to achieve these positions effortlessly, you should make adjustments for a more ergonomic workspace. For instance, if you’re looking straight ahead and your eyes don’t look at the top third of your computer screen naturally, you may need to lower or raise your computer screen. You can do this by lowering or raising the height of your chair.
Maintain Symmetry In Your Body Position If Possible
Ensure that you aren’t constantly rotating one part of your body more than the other if you perform driving or sitting tasks or have a standing workstation. It would be best to have symmetry when performing repetitive and static tasks.
Rotating your neck and back in the same direction or making constant movements along one side can irritate soft tissues and joints and result in back and neck pain. Poor sitting habits and repetitive tasks can lead to bad ergonomics and cause poor neck, head, and shoulder posture.
Check Your Posture Frequently
It isn’t easy to get rid of entrenched habits that result in poor posture. Check your posture using automatic alerts on your computer or phone when starting—set reminders for taking breaks if your job requires you to be desk-bound for hours at a time. Try to get up and move every hour rather than letting your neck stay motionless for a long time.
Poor Ergonomics Causes Neck Pain: The Evidence Behind It
Medical literature has pointed to evidence that computer neck pain may result from poor workplace ergonomics. The results of multiple studies have shown that there’s a higher risk of computer neck pain in workers who have computer-intensive and sedentary jobs as compared to other jobs.
Additionally, a forward head posture can be caused by poor posture due to bad ergonomics while using a computer. This results in an increased risk of neck pain. There is still more ongoing research to determine whether factors other than bad workplace ergonomics could cause computer neck pain and poor posture.
Treatment For The Pain
When long-term poor posture results in neck pain, just fixing the ergonomic issues will not magically make the pain go away. Treatment recommendations are most likely going to include doing stretches and exercises to minimize the effects of the forward head posture.
Many have turned to dry needling as a treatment option to help relieve the pain. The technique has been shown to speed the healing process for musculoskeletal pain, muscle stiffness, and the loss of mobility associated with poor ergonomics.
Incorporating all of these suggestions together with improved ergonomics as part of a complete treatment plan will make the most significant difference in a person’s spine health and overall well-being.
