Many patients that we see at the clinic for neck pain work in desk jobs. These jobs encourage long periods of seated work and sedentary periods, which means that their muscles are not moving frequently as they are in the same position for hours. Additionally, the stress of work can cause their neck, shoulder and back muscles to tense up and may lead to headaches.
If this sounds familiar to you, you may be wondering “What can I do for this neck pain?”
1. Check your desk, chair and computer set up.
Whilst your ergonomic set up at work is not the only contributor to neck pain, it may help to reduce symptoms and prevent neck pain. Sit to stand desks, which allow for variability in position are the best in the current market, and allow you to change positions regularly.
2. Movement is key!
Our bodies are designed to move, so the best thing you can do for neck pain from your desk job is to try gentle movements. Start by rotating your head side to side, then looking up and down, then bringing your left ear to your left shoulder and vice versa. Additionally, if you do not have a sit to stand desk, we recommend taking a 1 minute walk every 30 minutes to break up the sitting time.
3. Train your deep neck flexors
Deep neck flexors are small stabilizing muscles which help to control movements of your head and neck. These muscles are often found to be weaker in people which develop neck pain and therefore must be trained to improve their endurance. Our Physiotherapists are trained to improve the strength and endurance of your deep flexor muscles and can give further advice about specific exercises to help your neck pain.
4. Try some relieving soft tissue work.
Although the evidence is inconclusive for general neck pain, many people have a huge benefit in self-massage techniques and applying slight pressure through the muscles at the back of the neck. This has been shown to be useful in people with tension through their neck and shoulders. Our Physiotherapists utilize hands-on treatment to reduce muscle tension and associated headaches, as well as special techniques to improve the movement of your neck.
If the problem persists, or if you start to get headaches, book an appointment with your health professional.
The Movement Workshop Physiotherapy offers a mixture of hands-on and exercise prescription treatments to assist in treating and preventing future occurrences of neck pain.
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