Why Poor Ergonomics Can Lead to Neck Pain

Neck pain has moved on from bringing headaches to now being an increasingly common problem in our day to day life. It has subtly become one of the more common issues in modern workplaces, especially amongst those who neck and gaze at screens for extended periods. 

All too often, people are unaware that poor ergonomics are an underlying cause. Ergonomics refers to how we place our bodies in relationship to our environments, primarily at our offices and home office settings.

For instance, when you sit down in your chair at your work space or home work space and it hasn’t been ergonomically designed to support your specific body, small tensions start to build up and eventually begin to reveal themselves as tension, tightness, restriction and/or even long-term injury to the neck and spine. 

The Neck Carries the Burden of Poor Posture

Your head weighs about 4.5 to 5.5 kilograms and the muscles in your neck are working all day to support it. When you are in a good posture, the load is balanced. However, lean your head forward, even slightly, and the amount of force becomes significantly greater on your cervical spine. 

This load accumulates over time, especially when you are working at it for several hours a day. The muscles are working harder than they are accustomed to working, which leads to pain, tightness, and subsequently, fatigue that lasts well past your work hours.   

Poorly Placed Screens and Devices

Most people tend to put their monitors either too high or too low, leading the neck to be either flexed or extended, which takes away from the natural curve of the neck and can put excess stress on muscles and vertebrae. The weight of mobile devices makes this increasingly problematic. 

Two of the worst postural habits are looking down at smartphones for long periods of time (which is so common it even has a nickname “tech neck”), and seeing people looking down while texting for long stretches. The strain can be significant, even in young adults. These postures may not hurt in the moment, but their cumulative effects can occur without any signs or symptoms.

Inadequate Chair and Desk Support

Most of us are familiar with the feeling of slouching after sitting too long. But poor sitting posture doesn’t just look bad, it leads directly to neck pain. Chairs that don’t support the spine or promote upright sitting often cause people to lean forward. 

This puts the neck out of alignment, especially when the desk or screen is not at the right height. A chair with poor back support, a desk that is too low, or a screen that’s too far away can all contribute to sustained muscle tension in the neck and upper back.

Repetitive Motion and Static Load

Neck strain does not only happen as a result of poor posture. Sitting in one position for an extended amount of time even if it’s in a good posture can lead to discomfort known as static load. 

Because muscles stay in the same position for an extended amount of time without movement or stretch, there is less blood flow to the area, which will result in fatigue. 

If you sit in front of dual monitors or are always turned slightly in one direction, you could find yourself with chronic stiffness and or a headache that will not go away even with rest.

Stress and Tension Make Things Worse

Physical posture is only part of the problem. Mental stress often manifests itself in the body as tension in the shoulders, jaw, and neck. When the mind races and you feel anxious or are concentrating on something specific, you might unconsciously hunch your shoulders or engage neck muscles. 

Chronic tension can worsen the effects of bad ergonomics. Stress can produce new problems: tension headaches, limited range of motion, deficiencies in sleep, etc. All of these originate from both stress and/or posture.

Tiny Adjustments Have a Greater Impact

Fortunately, most of the damage from inadequate ergonomics can be rectified and may even reverse themselves. A few adjustments to your environment and habits can result in big improvements. 

Elevate your monitor so that the top of your screen is at eye level. Use a chair that promotes an upright seating posture and your feet flat on the floor. Don’t sit so far away from your desk that you have to reach out and lean forward and don’t lean over your desk to do your work. 

When working, take brief breaks every 30 to 45 minutes to stretch or walk- this not only relieves tension but it may also help return to usual blood flow. Don’t use your cell phone in a position that makes you look down. 

When to Get Help

• If you have made several ergonomic improvements (discussed above) and you are still experiencing neck pain, you should contact a health professional. 
• If you have neck pain that lasts for days or weeks, tingling in your arms or hands, weakness of your arms or hands or other symptoms, it may be more serious, like a herniated disc or nerve compression.
• A proper diagnosis by a specialist may help determine how serious the condition is and whether physical therapy, medication, or imaging tests are required. 
• Acting sooner rather than later could help your condition. The longer you wait to act, the more complicated this will become and the longer it might take to fix. 

It’s Not Just A Comfort Issue

As  the neck pain may not seem a big deal at first, however, when your neck pain is ignored it can become a serious obstacle to the way you want to function on a daily basis. Sleep, work quality and even your mood can be dramatically affected when physical pain creeps up on you and turns into something much different. 

A best orthopedic doctor in Chennai , can help in uncovering the root of the pain, often associated with poor ergonomics and developing solutions that return the body back to normal and less exposed to chronic health problems.