Neck pain! Work-related or Work-relevant?

Hi folks,


Through my experience neck tension is one of the most common complaints in the workplace. Do you get that hunched tight feeling too? Most of us blame our jobs for it, the posture we're in whilst working, coupled with the build up of stress. Some jobs may directly lend themselves to cause such neck pain / tension (work related pain) but many may just be a trigger. By this I mean that the actual tension could be building up from other elements of our lifestyle but because we experience the on-set at work, we blame work (work-relevant pain).

So lets take a look at what the possible causes could be:

1. Your commute? do you have a stressful journey? are you in a head-down position using mobile technology?

2. Your sleeping position? many of us sleep on our sides so be sure to have at least 2 plump pillows to keep your neck in line with your spine. All other positions only really require 1.

3. Your hobbies / activities? Musicians, cyclists, golfers & in-fact any activity where we are dominant with once side or have to maintain a poor posture. 

4. Emotional stress? Arguements at home, financial worries, family fallouts, kids driving you mad, moving house? Many of us store this type of stress physically in our mid / upper back region.

5. 'Forward hand' activities? Research shows that neck tension is likely caused by tension in your upper back muscles working to hold your hands forwards. The longer & the further away from our body the hands work, the more tension can build up. Yes, this is pretty much everything we do! One way to ease this is by supporting the elbow / forearm at natural (waist) height.



In summary, if you suffer from neck tension then address your working posture but also address your activities outside of work. However the most effective way of releasing this tension is through one of my massages!

Thanks

James