Frequent Computer Use Increases the Risk of Neck Pain

Delray Beach Chiropractic Physician offers guidelines to ease the pain.

[USPRwire, Tue Feb 23 2010] Spending long hours at your computer can put your health at serious risk. Computer neck pain is a very common condition among office workers, students and many other computer users. The result of long hours seated in an unchanged position is tight and painful neck muscles, neck stiffness, and commonly, associated headache.

According to Dr. Ryan Alter, a Chiropractic Physician in Delray Beach, Florida, “Today, a large number of people spend eight to ten hours a day, or more, bent over a keyboard and staring at a monitor. Sitting with the head in a forward bent position puts immense strain on neck ligaments and muscles. In addition, the normal curve of the neck becomes reversed creating more stress on all the surrounding tissues of the neck.”

Much computer-related neck pain comes from holding the head frozen in an awkward position while looking at the screen. Dr. Alter offers some guidelines to prevent or alleviate the pain associated with computer use.

1. Maintain an upright posture at all times. Keep your head balanced directly over your spine as much as possible. Sit tall, with spine erect, keeping ears in line with shoulders. If you find you cannot hold proper posture without great effort, you may have some spinal misalignments or muscular imbalance that needs to be corrected.

2. Be sure that you sit in a chair that supports proper posture. It is very difficult to sit correctly in a chair with bucket seats, or one with a backrest that collapses when you lean back.

3. Adjust the computer monitor so that the top of the computer screen is at eye level.

4. Place your feet firmly on the floor in front of you or on a footrest.

5. Take breaks every 15 to 20 minutes. This should involve getting up, and walking around the room. This will provide a break from using your eyes, promote circulation, and allow the spine to be mobilized to avoid postural strain.

6. Use a headset if you are on the phone while using the computer. This will reduce strain on your neck and shoulder muscles.

7. If you have bifocals, and you seldom look away from your screen to focus on other things, you should consider a pair of glasses dedicated to computer use only.

Dr. Alter recommends that at the first signs of neck stiffness to see your chiropractor. Once your chiropractor has helped to get your neck pain under control, he or she may suggest exercise, diet, or lifestyle changes to improve your range of motion, hold your proper alignment, and prevent a painful relapse. If your condition does not seem to be improving within a reasonable time frame, however, you may be referred to another specialist for further evaluation.