Adjusting Your Posture To Prevent Neck And Shoulder Pain
It might not be obvious, but posture has a cascading effect on other parts of the body. Paying attention to your core strength and lower back can ease strain on your neck and shoulders.
Take the wall test to adjust your standing posture.
- Stand with your head, shoulder blades, and buttocks touching the wall
- Keep your heels around 2 to 4 inches away from the wall
- Put your hand behind the curve in your back and touch the wall with your palm
Your hand should fit neatly inside of this space.
- If the fit is too loose, tighten your abdominal muscles
- If its too tight, arch your back
Remember what it feels like when you find the right spot. This is the standing posture you want to maintain as much as possible. Do the wall test daily as many times as you need to.
Adjust your sitting posture
If you spend a lot of time behind a desk, fixing your sitting posture is especially important.
- Avoid crossing your legs
Causes Of Neck Pain From A Car Accident
Car accidents can damage several areas of the body, especially your neck.
If one of these areas get damaged, it might hinder you during your day to day life. The neck is sensitive to both force and movement.
If you experience neck pain from a recent car accident, you are probably wondering what exactly caused it.
In this blog, we take a look at what you need to know about car accident injuries, the different types of neck injuries you can sustain from one, and how to properly treat neck pain caused by car accidents.
It is nearly impossible to prepare for the unexpected.
Imagine this-youre driving home from work and before you know it youre part of a vehicular accident.
These events can happen at any time and any place, and the pain after a car accident can be devastating.
Some accidents may seem minor, but youll find out sooner or later that theres a lingering pain you might feel in your back and neck.;
If youre looking for answers about the lingering pain youve been feeling because of a recent accident, were here to help you.
Shoulder And Arm Pain Caused By A Trapped Nerve
A trapped nerve in your shoulder and arm is possibly one of the most painful and annoying pains you can experience.
At first, it just feels like a dull ache. Then a stabbing pain hits you smack in your forearm. It rather feels like someone stabbing you with an electric needle. But the pain doesnt stop there.
As the nerve becomes more inflamed or trapped the sensation can become excruciating. Electric needles can hit you in the top of your arm, neck and forearm over and over again.
And it wont stop until you do something about it.
I am sure most of us have experienced Sciatica, the nerve pain from your thigh down your leg to your foot. The pain you suffer with a trapped nerve is very similar. The only difference is that every single time you move your head your shoulder and arm feels on fire.
So what to do?
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Forward And Backward Tilt
This can be done while you’re seated or on your feet. Keep your moves slow and smooth.
- Start with your head squarely over your shoulders and your back straight.
- Lower your chin toward your chest and hold for 15-30 seconds. Relax, and slowly lift your head back up.
- Tilt your chin up toward the ceiling and bring the base of your skull toward your back. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to the start position.
- Repeat the set several times. Do it every day.
Clinical Contributors To This Story
Laurent Delavaux, M.D. contributes to topics such as Orthopedics, Rehabilitation , Physical Medicine.
Working from home may be the new normal for some individuals given the COVID-19 pandemicbut did you know that the layout of your home office may affect your;overall;neck and shoulder health?;
Laurent Delavaux, M.D., an interventional pain physician at;JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute,;says that roughly 10-25% of individuals will have new neck pain each year while another 7-34% of people will experience new shoulder pain.;These ailments are becoming increasingly;more;common given that many of us use computers or phones;more;frequently throughout the day, shares the expert.;
Dr. Delavaux explains;three;common;work-related;scenarios that can lead to neck and/or shoulder pain and provides;helpful;solutions:
Problem:;I have bad posture;while working on a laptop, computer or phone.;According to Dr. Delavaux, bad posture is when an;individual rounds;his or her upper back and head forward while also rounding the shoulders forward. This puts a lot of stress on your neck and certain shoulder muscles, he says.;
Solution: Fix your posture.;Dr. Delavaux advises that individuals practice good posture. This is when the shoulders are relaxed but pulled back, with the chest open and head level with ears at the level of the shoulders, he says.;Techniques to improve your posture include:
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Strengthening Exercises For Shoulder Pain
These are two examples of strengthening exercises that help prevent shoulder pain using little to no equipment.
- Fill a water bottle about ¾ full
- Keeping your arm straight, hold the bottle in front of you at shoulder height for 30 to 60 seconds
- Switch arms, doing this 3 times on each side
- Lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Put a pillow under your forehead if you need to
- Gently bring your shoulder blades together and toward your feet
- Relax your shoulders about halfway down and hold for 10 seconds
- Release your shoulders and repeat the exercise 10 times
You can also prevent neck and shoulder pain by working on your posture.
How Can I Prevent Shoulder And Neck Pain
- To prevent injuries, examine your home for potential hazards and correct them to reduce the chance of accidental injury.
- Proper exercise of the shoulders and neck can reduce the risk of injury.
- When performing hazardous tasks, have someone present to reduce the likelihood of injury. For example, when climbing a ladder, have someone hold the base of the ladder to keep it from sliding to either side.
- Know your limitations. Do not perform activities that you do not have the training, skills, tools, or strength to accomplish.
- Wear seat belts and use other safety equipment to reduce injuries.
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How To Massage Shoulders
Kneading Technique: Use your thumb to knead the shoulder, adding the fingers of the other hand to help apply more pressure.
Circular Technique: Apply pressure to the shoulder with the fingertips, working in a circular motion up to the neck muscle.
Once you have finished the neck and shoulder massage on one side, move to the other, then glide both hands down the back in long, flowing strokes to finish up the massage.
Over Curvature Of The Neck
Get the photo album and find a picture of yourself in your profile. Sorry, but if you carry your head as shown in the first picture above, you are in real trouble. When the neck is over-curved, the head is not aligned above the spine but has to be carried in front of the body. That takes a lot of effort and pain. Muscles turn into spasms and cause neck and shoulder tension, headaches, migraine, even a Dowagers Hump. Help!
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What To Expect At Your Office Visit
Your provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your neck pain, including how often it occurs and how much it hurts.
Your provider will probably not order any tests during the first visit. Tests are only done if you have symptoms or a medical history that suggests a tumor, infection, fracture, or serious nerve disorder. In that case, the following tests may be done:
Apply Heat And Cold Therapy
This can quickly be accomplished through a hot shower or bath for about fifteen minutes. The use of a hot pack wrapped in a towel to avoid burns may also come in handy. Place the hot pack on the affected area and keep dabbing to relieve the pain for about 20 minutes. If the pain persists, consider interchanging with an ice pack and place it on the affected area. You should feel some pain relief.
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Stretching Can Keep Pain At Bay
Putting your monitor at eye level, sitting up straight and avoiding tilting and twisting your head down or to the side while youre on the computer can help you avoid neck pain. When youre driving or looking at your smart phone, be sure to take frequent breaks and avoid having your neck bent forward for long periods of time, Dr. Bang says.
The key to relief for a stiff neck is proper stretching and manipulation, Dr. Bang says. Here are some stretches;you can try at your desk or in the car that;may help you to avoid a stiff neck:
- Roll your shoulders backwards and down 10 times.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times.
- Push your head backwards into your car head rest or hands and hold for 30 seconds.
- Bring your ear to your shoulder 10 times on each side.
The Origin Way: Physical Therapy For Neck And Shoulder Pain
When looking at the head, neck, and shoulders, we look at your posture and positioning in its entirety. How are you sleeping? What is your work set up? What does the curve in your low back look like? We address any movement, position, or body part that could be affecting how your neck and shoulder move.
Your neck pain and poor posture is treated with a combination of manual therapy techniques to your muscles and joints, postural exercises, and strategies to improve the way you sit, sleep, and move. One of the biggest drivers of neck and shoulder pain is the way we move and hold our head. By making meaningful, long term changes to your movement patterns, you can have long term success.
Your Physical Therapist will show you how to sit, sleep, drive, lift, and carry without overly stressing your neck and shoulders. They may also use certain taping techniques to improve your postural awareness as you get stronger.
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Stress That Causes Neck Pain
Stress is often overlooked as a source of neck pain while working, however, it can amplify the effects of the other factors. When we experience stress, our shoulders begin to elevate as part of our fight/flight response. This position activates and fatigues the muscles in the neck and upper back leading to the muscle guarding described above.
How-To Relieve Stress
Stress management techniques can have a significant effect on reducing neck pain while working. Setting realistic due dates and breaking projects into smaller, actionable steps will help you avoid the pressure of working against the deadline. Adopting a daily mindfulness meditation practice is a great way to step back from your work and decrease stress.
If you tend to experience headaches that are associated with postural strain, you can benefit from performing stretching exercises and a positional release technique for the suboccipital muscles. To perform the positional release technique, youll need a small towel roll or a couple of tennis balls in a sock.
Lie on your back in a quiet, dark room where you will not be interrupted for 5-10 minutes. Place the towel roll or sock with tennis balls under the base of your skull allowing it to press gently against the suboccipital muscles. As you lie in this position, focus your breathing as you take slow, deep breaths for 5-10 minutes.
Stretches For Neck Pain Relief
While workers in a variety of fieldsfrom industrial, to tech, to health carecan find themselves stuck in static positions, there are some posture distortions that are common among office workers. When sitting at a desk and working at a computer, office workers tend to hunch over and bring their arms forward. Below are some easy stretching exercises you can do at your desk to help alleviate neck pain and headaches resulting from work-related physical stress.
Side Neck Stretch: Sit up straight, pushing your shoulders back. Tilt the head toward your right shoulder. Place your right hand on the top of the head and gently pull down, bringing the right ear closer to the right shoulder and stretching out the muscles on the left side of the neck. Repeat on the other side.
Forward Neck Stretch: Place both hands on the back of the head, pulling the head forward until your chin is nearly touching your collarbone and you are looking at your chest. You should feel tension in the muscles in the back of the neck easing.
Alternate Neck Stretch: Turn the head slightly to the right, place hands on the back of the head, and pull forward until you are looking at your right armpit. Repeat in the other direction.
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How To Adjust Your Desk Setup
The following points will help you in improving your desk setup.
- Your office desk should have a height of 28 – 30 inches.
- Your elbows should be angled at 90-degrees while working on the computer.
- The desk should be able to accommodate your computer, keyboard and mouse.
- The monitor should be at a 20-inch distance from your eyes.
The ideal desk setup is usually unavailable in most offices. In such a case, you can get a;monitor stand;to reduce neck and shoulder pain from sitting at the computer.
One good option is;ATUMTEK; Monitor Stand. It offers a quick and affordable fix for your neck and shoulder pain.
Posture And Sleeping Position
Holding your neck in an awkward position for a prolonged time can lead to strains in the muscles and tendons of your neck and shoulders.
Some of the postures and activities that commonly contribute to neck and shoulder pain are:
- sleeping on too high a pillow or a stack of pillows
- grinding or clenching your teeth at night
- sitting at a computer or over a phone with your neck strained forward or tilted up
- suddenly jerking your neck during exercise
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Tip #2 Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
Our diaphragm is an extremely important muscle. ;It helps us to breathe, moves lymphatic fluid and plays a role in maintaining posture. This dome shaped muscle forms the floor of the thoracic cavity, while the lungs sit on top.
When we inhale, the;diaphragm;contracts and is drawn downwards into the abdominal cavity. Other muscles lift the ribs like the handle of a bucket. ;The thoracic cage becomes deeper and larger, drawing air from the atmosphere. This increase in air pressure provides support for the upper body.
During exhalation, the rib cage drops to its resting position while the diaphragm relaxes and elevates to its dome shaped position in the thorax. Air within the lungs is forced out of the body as the size of the thoracic cavity decreases.
These constant pressure changes assist with the movement of lymphatic fluid which is not only important for regular fluid exchange but also for reducing swelling. The diaphragm also has an intimate relation;with our core muscles . The finger-like extensions of the diaphragm connect into the transverse abdominus muscle. ;This relationship assists with the ;stability of the spine. If the diaphragm does not function properly this;has a;direct impact;on the ability of transverse abdominus to work efficiently and to give stability.
Awareness Of Sleeping Positions And Proper Pillows Can Minimize Neck Pain
As with so many things, when it comes to neck pain, an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure. It’s true that some causes of neck pain, such as age-related wear and tear, are not under your control. On the other hand, there are many things you can do to minimize your risk. One place to start is to look at how you sleep and what effect this may have on neck pain.
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Can A Chiropractor Fix A Pinched Nerve In Shoulder And Neck
If it hurts to perform any of the exercises listed above, or your nerve pain doesnt get any better, you may consider seeing a chiropractor. A doctor of chiropractic can absolutely help fix a pinched nerve. In fact, chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in treating pinched nerves in the neck and lumbar spine.
Since the central nervous system travels along the spine, where nerves branch out into the body, its not uncommon for a bulging or herniated disc to cause a pinched nerve in the neck. A chiropractic adjustment can help relieve the pressure on the disc, therefore relieving the pressure on the nerve, as well. Chiropractic care is also effective in preventing future nerve problems.
Improve Your Sitting And Sleeping Postures
Most neck and shoulder pains emanate from bad sitting and sleeping postures. If correct, the neck and shoulder pain could go away on its own. Avoid sitting in one position for extended periods. Take frequent breaks to stretch your neck and shoulder muscles. Also, sit straight without leaning backward or forward to avoid straining your muscles. When sleeping, rest your bodys weight on your side of the back and never on your stomach. These habitual changes should help you reduce and get rid of neck and shoulder pain.
Have you been suffering from neck and shoulder pain for the longest time now? Dont worry; we are here to help you improve your quality of life and bid the aches goodbye. Call us today at .
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