Pain in the neck - part 2 - Computer Posture

Pain in the neck, shoulder, elbow from computer use

Don’t be put off by the toddler, this post is about neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain from computer use! Despite having osteoarthritis in my neck for nine years now and feeling quite smug about how well I am able to work with it, it still catches me out from time to time.

This Wednesday I was caught out big time! I’d been working too long on Monday and Tuesday and so my neck was giving me a hard time from the moment I got out of bed on Wednesday; so much so that I couldn’t do any work at all until late afternoon. I did my exercises, took ibuprofen tablets and put ibuprofen gel on my neck but the pain wouldn’t shift.

Free physiotherapy for your neck pain, shoulder pain or elbow pain!

What sorted my neck pain?

Walking for 30 mins with your arms swinging loosely

I remembered something I’d learnt years ago but forgot…I simply went for half an hour’s walk! I made sure I wasn’t carrying anything in either hand as it is important to walk with your arms swinging loosely. I try to walk with a little bit of a swagger and slightly exaggerate my shoulder movement to increase the muscle movement around my neck but doing anything is better than doing nothing- half an hour later I was 90% improved!

I chose the picture of a toddler because as you see, she’s not carrying a mobile phone, she doesn’t have a laptop bag on her shoulder and so can swing her arms naturally, opposing her leg movements as she walks. This action of moving your arms around is so beneficial for those of you with neck pain, shoulder pain or elbow pain. Be careful not to have a heavy coat or jacket on or heavy things in your jacket pockets which can pull down on your neck and shoulder area.

Think of it as free physiotherapy! As you walk and move your arms and shoulders you are gently releasing those tight muscles and tendons. This isn’t a solution entirely on its own of course but it is something that may help you.

Of course many of us have such busy lives and how can you fit 30 minutes walking in? Well you could pretend walk indoors while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil or watching something on TV. There is also the deep tissue physio massager (below) which I can’t speak highly enough of – I have one at home and one in the car (with car to mains converter) so I’m never far from it when I need it.

This post was part 2. Pain in the neck part 1 touched on the other dangers we are so addicted to such as our smartphones.