How is your posture? Poor posture may be causing your headaches, discomfort and stiffness. Many of us have sedentary jobs at a desk and/or use mobile technology for day-to-day communications. Think about how you sit when you do these things. It’s easy for us to slip into a poor posture when we’re mindlessly reading emails or sending texts. Poor posture contributes to neck pain, stiffness, nagging headaches, trouble standing up and other painful issues. Neck discomfort is no longer just an ‘adult issue.’ At Loudoun Sports Therapy Center, we see many young people complaining of these and other painful issues in the upper body areas as well.
People of all ages need to be more aware of their postures at work and at home. What happens to your neck when you sit on a computer or use a smartphone or iPad for too long? Think about this: for every inch that your head is tilted forward, there is twice the amount of pressure being placed through your spine. Forward head posture can place unnecessary strain on your neck muscles and even cause disc protrusions and pinched nerves. These conditions result in increased pain in the back of your neck, headaches and even nerve symptoms such as numbness and tingling radiating down your arms.
You can see that when neck discomfort isn’t handled right away, there is a trickle down effect. There are some simple adjustments you can make in your daily life to prevent neck problems.
- Break up the time you sit in one position for a prolonged period of time, especially when your spine isn’t in proper alignment.
- Be aware of your head position when you sit. The longer you sit, the more tired your muscles get and the more your posture will slouch.
- If you are on the computer for work for multiple hours a day, get up at least every 20-30 minutes and go for a short walk. This goes for anyone who spends a lot of time on their electronic devices at work or home.
- If you sit at a desk, make sure your back is supported, keep your computer monitor at eye level and place your feet flat on the ground.,
Physical therapy is a very effective treatment method to relieve neck pain FOR GOOD and improve joint mobility and posture.
Our expert therapists, at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center, will teach you the proper stretches, strengthening exercises and ways to set up your work stations properly to help:
* reduce symptoms and prevent serious injuries
* help decrease muscle tightness and improve cervical stability; and
* decrease pain and inflammation.
**If you are experiencing neck pain, whether it’s consistent or comes and goes, you CAN Restore your quality of life and begin returning to your prior level of function. Call our office TODAY at 703-450-4300 to set up your personalized evaluation and treatment plan. CLICK HERE for more on how physical therapy can help you.**
