Sitting all day can be a pain in the neck

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Most workers are required to spend some time in their workday in front of a computer. For many people their entire workday, eight or more hours, is spent at a desk staring at a computer screen, or at a desk doing paperwork. Although many people are already familiar with repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, “postural syndromes” are becoming a more common complaint in today’s workforce.

“Postural syndrome” is the term used to classify injuries that often occur to the muscles, ligaments and joints of the back and neck as a result of holding a sustained position for long periods of time. Often this is caused or worsened by people sitting in inefficient positions during those long work hours. For these reasons, the way you sit for the majority of your day can have a huge effect on whether or not you develop a postural syndrome.

Many people have noticed that they develop a “computer slump” when concentrating on a project or sitting at their desk for long periods. This usually consists of “forward head carriage” or having your head hanging in front of your shoulders, rather that resting directly above the shoulder area, and having your shoulders rolled forward. The muscles that support the spine are able to efficiently support your head and upper body all day without problems if you are standing or sitting somewhat straight.

When you have bad posture, however, your muscles will become overworked and become fatigued, and eventually injuries occur. The muscles of the neck have to work much harder to hold up the head when it is hanging forward, and the muscles between the shoulder blades fatigue more quickly when the shoulders are rolled forward. These muscles especially are susceptible to myofascitis, which is an irritation to the outside layer of the muscle characterized by achiness, tightness and sometimes a burning or even tingling in the region.

The good news is that most of these problems are avoidable. The bad news is you need to stretch regularly, take breaks and watch your posture to avoid them. There are some simple steps you can take to get started. First, sit up straight. You can manage this a couple of different ways. Keep an eye on your head position. As a general rule, your ears should be over your shoulders on a side view. Your elbows should be resting by your side; if they are forward and resting on the desk most of the time, you can bet you’re probably not sitting very efficiently. Also, make sure you’re sitting on your “sits bones” with a proper forward curve to your low back. This not only will reduce strain on your lower back, but also will build a proper foundation for the rest of your spine.

Secondly, make sure your workstation is ergonomic. Your chair should have armrests that allow your arms to rest at your sides at about 90 degrees. Your eyes should be looking at the upper portion of the screen, if you have to look down to see the screen, your neck muscles will pay for it. Use the keyboard shelf that comes with most desk assemblies; this brings the keyboard toward you, rather than you having to reach forward to type.

There are a couple of simple stretches that can help as well. Stretching out the chest muscles will allow the shoulders to rest back in a more appropriate position. This can be accomplished by spreading out your arms in a doorway, slowly leaning forward until a gentle stretch is felt in the chest and holding up to a minute at a time. Another easy stretch for the neck muscles is to slowly lean your head to each side until a gentle stretch is felt, holding for about a minute. Keep your muscles warm by moving within your normal range of motion. Roll your shoulders around and turn your neck to each side every few minutes.

Get up and take breaks often. Ideally, get up and go to the water cooler or take a lap through the office every 20 minutes or so. Even a 30-second or one-minute break will disrupt that sustained posture and give those overworked muscles some relief. Many forms of bodywork and therapy can also help with the symptoms caused by postural syndromes, break the cycle of pain, and make adopting proper posture a smoother transition. These injuries build up over time; the sooner you can make changes, the less of an issue they will be to resolve.

Dr. Chad Lambert is a chiropractor at Alliance Health Center on Honeycutt Rd. here in Maricopa. He can be reached at (520) 568-4494.

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