Neck Pain Prevention

Neck pain is often caused by stress of muscle strain in the neck area. Neck pain can be prevented by keeping good posture, doing regular exercise, and avoiding unchanged long time postures such as sitting in front of computer for a long time, or while you are painting a ceiling.

You should think about your posture and body mechanics if your pain gets worse at the end of the day.

● Avoid Poor Postures

1. Do not keep a slouching or a head-forward posture. While sitting in chair, straight your back, feet flat on the floor, and relax your shoulders as possible as you can. Avoid keeping an unchanged position for a long time. Stretch your neck muscles several times an hour.

2. If you job requires long time sitting in front of computer, you can adjust computer screen to make sure that the top of the screen is at your eyes level. In this way, it not only does well on you neck but also on you eyes. If you want to know further office protection measures, you might as well to read some topics about Office Ergonomics.

3. You’d better to use an earphone or speaker phone if you are planning to have a long time talk on telephone. Do not hang the phone on your shoulder for a long time, because it will cause numbness on your shoulder.

4. During driving, many people are more likely to lean their seats back forward. On the contrary, straight your car seat that supports your head and lower back is the correct one. However, you must make sure that your body should not reach the steering wheel. It would be more comfortable if you flex your arms slightly.

5. If you are going to lift some heavy objects, do lift with knees rather than you back. Proper lifting techniques are needed.

● Use Pillow Smartly

If neck pain gets worse in the morning, there must be something wrong with your pillow or your sleeping posture.

1. Properly use of a pillow can adjust your neck neither too high nor too flat. There are special designed pillows, named as cervical pillows, may relieve neck stress. Besides these bough or special designed pillows, a self-made pillow is also effective. You can fold a towel lengthwise into a pad that is 4in wide, wrap it around your neck, and pin it in position for good support. Easy-made but effective pillow, you might as well to try it.

2. When you are lying on your back, a pillow can prevent your head forward; while you lie on you side, a pillow can allow you to align your nose with the center. Do not sleep on your stomach with you neck twisted or bent.

3. While you are reading in bed, you can use a wedge-shaped pillow to support your arms and keep your neck in a neutral position. Adversely, you can prop the book up so that there is no need for you to use your arms to hold it up and to bend your neck forward.

If your neck pain is caused by stress, you can practice muscle relaxation exercises once a day to strength and protect your neck. Keeping a healthy balance body weight can also avoid neck pain.

Filed under: Neck Pain Prevention

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!