Our mothers always told us not to slouch. Now we know that genetics and lack of calcium cause humps, but the advice is still good. Sitting up straight is one way to avoid neck pain.
It isn't as easy as it sounds though. It seems like a simple prospect and every morning as we sit down at our desks we renew our commitment to good posture. Our feet are flat on the floor, our desks are at the right height, our arms, hands and wrists are on whatever type of mousepad or other rest works best. We're sitting up straight in our chair at about arm's length from the computer. There! It won't happen today.
An hour or two later, nature or the boss calls and we discover that we're hunched over, becoming one with the desk, face pressed up against the computer screen. This doesn't seem so bad until we try to move and our neck and shoulders cry out in protest.
They punish us for the rest of the day too. Not just with muscle stiffness and that nagging pull just out of reach, but neck pain can lead to headaches and back aches and all other manner of postural problems.
These are the times we find ourselves longing for a good massage. Too bad it's probably against the company's sexual harassment policy.
This is if you're sitting at a desk all day. Or a forklift. For those doing any kind of physical labor it can be much worse. No matter how hard anyone tries, it is difficult to spend the entire day moving boxes, fruit, machinery or crawling through the sewers without getting into several positions you'll wish you hadn't later. Work puts food on the table, but unfortunately, it also puts pain in the body.
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. While it may be difficult to avoid pulling something or getting so stiff that you develop neck pain, there are exercises that can be done while at your desk or on the assembly line without much disruption.
There are also exercises you can do at home, such as stretches, stealing the tennis ball from the dog and rolling around on it - okay, not technically an exercise, but it will work the tension out of the muscles. Depending on the level of strain you put on your neck and the kind of shape it's in, you may need something more specific and targeted.
Exercises and stretches are better than most pain medications for several reasons. They actually work to alleviate the problem in the long term, rather than masking it or dealing with short-term symptoms. Strengthening your neck muscles will do you far more long term good than all the aspirin in the world.
The question is what stretches and strengtheners to do? The good news is that there are people who can help you. A professional chiropractor can get you back into shape and tell you how to stay that way. They can determine your specific needs and get you started on a program of recovery.
