Celtic Spirit Massage and Wellness

Is work giving you a pain in the neck?

Jeanne Boisseau, LMT

Do you get headaches, shoulder pain, or neck pain at work? Surveys of office workers indicate that about half of all employees have frequent pain or stiffness in their necks and shoulders. Repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome are becoming more common with about 10% of keyboard users experiencing wrist pain or discomfort. Who would have thought that sitting could wreak such havoc on your body! When you sit for long periods of time certain postural muscles, like your shoulder muscles, become overworked. These will tend to become short and tight from overuse. Our bodies were not designed to sit for long periods of time. We were made to move. Almost everyone who sits for long periods of time will develop back pain, even with the use of an ergonomic chair. It's not uncommon to develop other problems as well. Your body needs movement to operate effectively. When your muscles contract, you assist the flow of blood and lymph fluid through your body. The muscles act as a pump. If they don't contract regularly the blood in your extremities pools and you may get swelling of your feet and hands or those parts may just feel cold because the blood circulation is insufficient.If you are stuck behind a desk all day, there are a number of things you can do to keep your body healthy:

Use your chair to support your body by aiming your sitting bones toward the back edge of the chair as you sit down, preventing you from slouching into the back of the chair. When you slouch, your head tilts back to see your work properly. This shortens your neck muscles, wears down the joints in your neck and may even compress the nerves that go to your arms.

If you spend a lot of time on the telephone, invest in a headset. Holding the phone between your ear and shoulder can result in neck and chest pain.

Use armrests or a wrist support to take the stress off your shoulder muscles which normally carry the weight of your shoulder girdle and arms.

If you spend most of your day looking at a computer screen, make sure it's in front of you and not positioned to the side so that you have to turn your head to see it.

Place a document holder next to your computer screen so that you don't have to twist your neck around trying to look at printed material that's lying flat on the desk.

Take frequent breaks to keep your muscles from tensing and tightening. Use a twenty second break every twenty minutes to stand up, stretch and take a couple of deep breaths.

Vary the tasks you do throughout the day so that you don't work at one single activity for too long

Get your eyes checked regularly to be sure you are not straining your eyes,leading to neck and shoulder problems.

Carry your briefcase or purse on a different side each time.

Get a regular massage to help you get rid of accumulated tension.

Stretch out overworked and tight muscles to get your circulation going.

Exercise regularly. Spend some time outside - even in the winter. Just get moving!!

If you feel stressed often, you may need to take a serious look at your lifestyle and explore ideas for reducing your stress level.

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