The recent phenomenon of neck, shoulder and poor posture is caused from the use of today’s popular technology and devices: computers, laptops, smart phones, and tablets.
Repetitive strain injury has become increasingly common. Studies have shown significant associations between daily or weekly hours of keyboard use and hand and arm musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders. Most desk jobs require employees to sit and type for hours daily. When you sit at your computer, you typically sit with your head flexed forward and shoulders slumped with your wrist stiffed.
Same goes for watching TV or even as you text. When you’re looking at a smart phone in your lap, your neck is holding what feels like 20 to 30 pounds (while the average human head is 10 lbs). In addition, you are likely to have your elbows at your side while having your head tilt straight down. This “text neck” is said to cause spinal degeneration muscle pain, disc injury and headaches, because for every inch you tilt your head forward the pressure on your spine doubles.
Though it may seem like a small step, correcting phone posture can do wonders for your neck. Don’t cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder, as this puts unneeded strain on your cervical spine. Some forum contributors have experience pain relief through the use of a hands free headset.
Remedial massage differs from traditional massage in that it involves oil being applied and rubbed into the skin. Over time, the oil is intended to penetrate the muscles and joints, removing toxins and improving join mobility while relaxing the muscles. For individuals with neck pain, a targeted remedial massage may offer relief.
Consider acupuncture as it provides varying degrees of neck pain relief for forum members. Some people swear by its effectiveness, while others note success about half of the time.
Enlist the help of a physical therapist. It’s common to think of physical therapy as a treatment aimed at reducing symptoms from a given injury. While this is correct, physical therapy for the neck can also have other benefits such as:
Sleeping on a good pillow can make a very big different on the quality of sleep you get throughout the night. It is always important to select a pillow that will improve your sleep, make you comfortable and also prevent any sort of back or neck pain.
If symptoms of neck or shoulder pains worsen see a pain management specialist to find the exact conditions that needs treatment. You may need to enroll as a new patient if it is your first time. Call today to schedule an appointment with Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine or visit ocpain.net.