Learn how to relieve neck pain with 5 ergonomic tips, and discover how to prevent several common neck pain causes.
How to Relieve Neck Pain With 5 Ergonomic Tips
If you follow along in my Instagram stories, then you know that 2 weeks ago I suffered from a condition called “torticullis.”
No, that is not the name of a mythical creature from Lord of the Rings, but in fact, a fancy medical term for neck spasm.
For several weeks I could feel the right side of my neck becoming tighter and tighter, and it was especially sore when I would get up in the morning.
I knew full well the cause was my home office set up and lack of attention to proper ergonomics, but as is typical of one who knows better, I neglected my own frequently given advice to countless patients on how to prevent neck and back pain with proper ergonomics.
And so I paid for it with severe spasming and two incredibly painful therapeutic massages.
For those of you local, I highly recommend Therapeutic Massage Works if you suffer from chronic neck or back pain.
If you spend hours at a desk, looking at a screen, or using a cell phone, then I am going to share with you 5 ergonomic tips to relieve and prevent neck (and back) pain.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
First of all, I am sure you are asking what in the sam hill does “ergonomic” mean?
Actually probably not a single one of you used the term sam hill, but let’s get to the point.
Ergonomics is quite simply “the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment.”
For my purposes, I am sharing ergonomic tips on how to position your body in such a way as to improve your physiological function and prevent disability (like a debilitating neck spasm!) in the work place.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
#1. Keep your neck in a neutral position.
Let’s start at the top.
Elevate the laptop or computer screen so that it is approximately an arm length away and at eye level with your face.
You should not have to significantly move your head up or down in order to see your screen.
I bought this stand to elevate my laptop and this device stand for my IPAD and phone so that all of my screens are at eye level.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
#2. Shoulders should be relaxed and elbows at a 90 degree angle on the keyboard.
Adjust your desk or chair as needed to achieve this ergonomic position.
I actually took the adjustable feet off of my secretary desk because it needed to be lower in order to achieve this position.
I also added a second cushion to my chair. It is not pretty, but it works.
I may end up investing in a counter height chair that could be lowered to the right position as my secretary desk is a little too high for the average chair.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
#3. Wrists should be maintained in a neutral position on the keyboard and mouse.
Chronic hyper extension or flexion of the wrist can ultimately end up leading to carpel tunnel and chronic wrist pain.
One way of protecting your wrists and maintaining a neutral position is to buy a wrist pad for your keyboard and mouse. Also the mouse should move easily and without significant effort.
The new wireless keyboard I bought came with a mouse, and I actually switched back to my old mouse because the new mouse did not move as easily.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
#4. Keep your knees at a 90 degree angle.
I have a cross bar at the bottom of my desk that I always rest my feet on, but otherwise I recommend a foot stool.
This will help to protect your lower back and the entire spine!
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
#5. Add a lumber support pillow.
Adding a lumber support pillow can help relieve pressure on your lower back and prevent excessive muscle fatigue.
** BONUS TIP: Consider using blue light glasses for prolonged screen time.
We just aren’t sure how detrimental excessive amounts of blue light will be over the course of a life time, and we are only just now in the decade when people will have been routinely exposed to blue light from childhood.
I am not winning any fashion awards with these, but here are the blue light glasses I wear.
HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN WITH 5 ERGONOMIC TIPS
before and after
Slide the image to see my desk’s ergonomic makeover!
What products do you use to create a better work environment? I might need them too!
pin any of the images below for later
So many good tips! I sit at a desk 4 days a week and my husband has been working from home since March. We recently added footstools and it was definitely a game changer! Thanks for sharing.
Yes! I’m actually thinking I might get a footstool because the bar across the bottom isn’t quite high enough.