How to manage the computer related neck pain.....( battle month | 01 )

Hello friends…..

Are you working with computer and experiencing neck pain with your occupation?
So this is for whom answering with “Yes”.
Today I would like to tell you about “How to manage the computer related neck Pain”.
Neck pain is a common problem among the computer work related professionals. Incorrect posture, and prolong staying on those incorrect sitting positions are the main causes for this increased prevalence of neck pain among them. Neck muscles and upper back muscles are undergone stressful conditions while a person stays a position with neck flexed forward for hours and hours. Sustained, bad occupational posture or habitual wrong posture of the neck in relation to the thoracic- spine and shoulder joint results in stretching of soft tissues on one side and lengthening of the ones on opposite side. This can cause irritation and strain of the ligaments, muscles or joints precipitating cervical pain. Once a person work with this position for a long time, this muscle imbalance leads to neck pain and muscle spasm vice versa. Once a person stays in this wrong position for years and more, this may lead to structural changes in cervical spine. Common symptoms of this condition are:

1. Neck pain
2. Muscle tightness
3. Limited neck movements
4. Radicular pain along upper limbs
5. Numbness
6. Loss of sensation

Although neck pain and muscle tightness represents an early stage in neck pain other features may lead to advanced stage of neck pain which is called as cervical spondylosis.
If you have neck pain, you can simply follow below guidelines and few exercises. Although you don’t have neck pain, you can follow these simple exercises for prevention from neck pain at rest periods while working with computer.
As first step, you have to correct your positions by adjusting table and chair. Adjust until you don’t feel any stress with working. Correct position is straight neck without bending down or forward. You can adjust your chair height as you don’t want to bend forward to work with the computer. Other than that you have to move your chair close to the table as much as possible while your arms rest on arm rests of the chair. Keep in your mind, don’t bend your neck to use your mobile phone also. Try to adjust and maintain to keep your computer screen at eye level.

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When you’re sleeping at home, try to use a butterfly shape pillow or a pillow with low height to maintain your cervical curvature properly.
Other than that, you can follow few simple exercises to stretch your muscles and maintain the posture well.

1. Bend your neck to one side and stay there for 20-30 s while stretch with other hand. Repeat to the other side. (3 repetitions, 3 times per day).

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1. Push your chin to bit backward and hold 5 seconds (10 repetitions and three times per day).

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1. Keep your hands behind neck and bend backward slowly (10 repetitions and three times per day).

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1. Squeeze your shoulders together. Hold for 5 seconds. (10 repetitions, 3 times per day)

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But if you don’t feel better with these exercises and advices please consult a doctor or a physiotherapist for further treatments.
I hope this will be helpful to computer users to prevent from neck pain.

Finally i want to give big thanks to my wife, who helped me to prepare this article
(Piyumi Amarasinghe (Bsc. Physiotherapy, Dip. Sports and Exercise Science. UOP)
Physiotherapist
District General Hospital Embilipitiya).