People assume that their neck and shoulder pain is caused by some acute motion or activity they did and they injured themselves but in reality they could have a sedentary lifestyle injury. This can include but is not limited to people who drive all day, people who sit at a desk and write or sit at a desk at a computer, or people who stand in one spot for long periods of time. If this is something you consistently do and you’re experiencing neck and shoulder pain you may want to consider calling our office to see how we can help at 330-491-0381 or visit our resources online and schedule an appointment at www.yourartdoc.com.
A sedentary lifestyle can be many types of activities but most commonly we see sedentary lifestyle injuries in people who sit for long periods of time at a desk and work at a computer. The reason Neck and Shoulder Pain can occur is usually because of ergonomically incorrect setup at a desk. The computer is too high so you’re looking up or too low so youre looking down, the mouse and keyboard are not positioned properly so that your neck or shoulder is strained while working, or you are leaning in your chair improperly causing strain on your postural muscles.
Improper setup where your posture is in a specific position for hours without a break causes strain on the muscles. Just like a runner running too many miles and overworking muscles, by sitting in the same position all day every day for hours and hours you put strain on those muscles in the same manner. Even though you’re not physically straining they are working to keep you balanced and hold a position they are not used to. Any time you ask this of a muscle it will eventually get tired, shut down, and cause irritation and inflammation. This is the reason you could experience neck and shoulder pain.
In order to avoid a sedentary lifestyle injury, it is important to check your desk and work area to make sure it is set up in a way that you are comfortable and are putting your body in a good postural position to avoid the overstraining and overuse injury. It is also important to take frequent breaks, ie. work for 30 minutes, get up stretch foam roll move around and go back to work. This allows the muscles the proper amount of break stretch and recovery to continue through the long hours of work.
If you are someone who could have a sedentary lifestyle injury and are experiencing neck and shoulder pain we can offer many tools and suggestions to improve your work area and allow you to take better care of your body when such an injury occurs. We can also show you how to prevent this from happening all together. To gather these tips and tricks call our office at 330-491-0381 or visit our website at www.yourartdoc.com.