Neck Pain

The job your neck has to perform is relatively simple. It is rarely asked to lift anything other than its own weight. It is however heavy (about the weight of a bowling ball) and is balanced on top of your spine (imagine a bowling ball resting on top of a 6” stick). If it starts to lean in any direction it takes a lot of work to hold it up!

People often just wake up with neck pain one morning. Watching how these people roll over, they often use their necks to lift their shoulders and chest before they roll. This is not what your neck was designed to do! Let your neck relax, and rather roll your neck and trunk as a unit. If you need to, you can use your arms or legs to help your reach in the direction you are going to roll.

Carrying a backpack on one shoulder causes your shoulders to become uneven and your neck to side bend. It also causes the full load of the backpack to be held up by just one shoulder. Share the load and keep your head and shoulders level by using both shoulder straps.

If you are straining to see, you will often find that you try to move your head and neck closer to whatever you are looking at. This causes far more work for your neck by stressing muscles, joints, and discs.

Your computer monitor should be set up so that you are looking at it at eye level. Your workstation should be set up so that things you use often are within easy reach and things you use less often can be slightly further away. Have a comfortable chair, but do try to get up at least 1x/hour to move around. When you sit, your head and neck should relax on top of your body and not advance toward the screen or look down for extended periods.

Pillows should fill in the gap between your head and the bed. If you are a side sleeper you will need a pillow to fill the gap between the outside of your shoulder and your ear, so that your neck stays aligned. This will require a thicker pillow than if you are a back sleeper. If you are a back sleeper, you should use a thin pillow just to have a little cushioning under your head – there is not much space to fill in. Try to avoid sleeping on your belly, as this forces your neck to twist and extend.

A lot of people use their necks to hold their phones to their ears – not a good idea. Try using either a Bluetooth or get a headset for your phone.

Your tongue is the largest muscle in your head and neck. When you are not talking or eating, it should rest on the roof of your mouth just behind, but not touching your teeth. Since it is such a major muscle in your head/neck region, if it is postured correctly, this will positively influence other muscles and joints of your neck too.