Best Exercises For Neck Pain At Your Desk
If the pressure that you feel in your neck is, well, a neck
pain, you are far from being alone. According to National Institutes of Health,
neck pain is very common, with about one in three individuals affected by it
once a year.
Women are affected more often than men and they may recur
while the symptoms continue to go away on their own.
Unfortunately, the pain is chronic in around 1 in 10 people
with recurring neck pain.1 “Neck pain is a common occurrence that about 75
percent of people encounter at some point in their lives.”
“Women, older adults and those involved in road traffic
collisions, whiplash injuries are at greater risk.”
Neck pain is mostly linked to bad posture.
If you’re sitting eight hours a day on a screen, you start
to get bad alignment. Some people’s poor posture from sitting like this causes
neck pain. Aside from poor posture, incorrect placement of the head when
talking on the phone will cause neck pain. The so-called “text back,”
is back pain that comes from tilting the head down to look at a smartphone
screen.
Stress can also cause pain in your back. In particular,
women tend to bear tension in the neck and shoulders.
The good news is that workouts (which you can do at your
desk!) will relieve the discomfort and tension in the back. Try warming up your
neck muscles by putting a heat pad on your neck for a few minutes before you
start the exercises. Or, to calm those tight neck muscles, take a warm bath or
shower.
Below are a few easy exercises to try at the office:
Sit Up Straight
It may sound simple but by sitting up straight, keeping a
healthy posture is an effective way to prevent pain. We all appear to slouch
throughout the day so make a point of being mindful of your seated posture.
Rotate your shoulders back through the entire day. Hold on for a couple of
seconds, relax and repeat the move 3 or 4 times.
One movement that feels fantastic and can be performed from
either a sitting or standing position is to draw your arms backwards and place
them on your buttocks with your fingertips pointing downward. Try pinching your
shoulder blades together then. Keep back a couple of seconds. Relax 4 times,
and repeat.
Neck Flex stretch
This movement can be performed to sit on or standing at your
desk. Holding the place for a whole 3 seconds is critical.
You should do the exercise sitting or standing. Think
straight ahead. Now look down for a few seconds at the floor, then for a few
seconds up at the ceiling.
Turn your head to the right very slowly, as far as possible.
Keep in for three seconds. Turn your head back to the middle and keep this spot
for 3 seconds.
Turn your head towards the left and keep for 3 seconds.
Bring your head back to the middle, at last. Repeat four times.
Sit up straight and look forward. Tilt your head to the
right and try to touch your right ear. Keep back a couple of seconds. Relax,
and set your head straight. Now turn your head to the left and try to touch
your left ear. Repeat three or four times.
Chin Tuck
Sit up straight with your back behind in a chair. And lower
the head down towards the jaw. Bring your chin in but not down, and look
straight ahead. Keep for 5 seconds on this. Repeat this ten times, and do it
once a day.
Stretch with Chin Raise
Lift Tilt your chin up instead of bringing it down as you
slightly turn your head to the right. This will raise your nose. Hold back 20
seconds. Now slowly turn it to the left, bringing your chin up as you look
towards the ceiling. Don’t lift your shoulders up when you move. Do this
exercise 3 times per side.
Thoracic spine stretch
Stand up and raise your elbows to your sides. Place your
hands on your head at the back. Slightly draw your elbows back as you stretch
your spine. You will look ahead with your eyes. Hold for 10 seconds on this.
Repeat five times.
Other methods of treatment aside from workouts, here are
several many ways to try to alleviate pain:
-
Tai chi – Research
show that it is effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The
activity promotes movement and gradually increases the range of motion. The
exercise provides low impact motion in the back, which can relieve discomfort
and improve work. -
Be mindful of your posture when seated at your desk. You
should sit up straight and position the keyboard so your elbows are flexed at
90 degrees. Make sure that your shoulders are back, and not slouching forward. -
Quick get up and walk frequently during the day are helpful.
Get up at least once an hour from your chair, and spend 3 minutes walking
around your office. -
Be mindful of how you hold your head while on your mobile
phone or at your laptop. You shouldnot
lean your head forward or slouch
when you look at those screens. -
Don’t pin the phone between your shoulder and ear while you
multitask. It’s an instinctive motion but it strains the muscles of the spine.
Stop this position while you’re on your phone. Consider using a headset or
speakerphone for any conversation that will last longer than five minutes. -
Consider using an ergonomically built keyboard
with a view to reducing muscle strain. The keys are divided into two or three
classes in a “set split-keyboard.” It allows for a different angle to
the user style than a standard straight keyboard. The keyboard is split into
several independent sections in a “adjustable split keyboard; the angle
can be adjusted as desired. It is not for everyone and it will take some to get
used to.
If you have any further questions, or need to know more, simply check our website
here
, or call us 028 92666959, or email info@gavnoble.com