Between looking at screens all day, to mobile phones and even sleeping, our necks are in all kinds of positions day in, day out. For instance, Australians on average spend 10 hours and 24 minutes engaging with internet connected devices everyday.1
If you suffer from neck pain, you’re not alone. Up to 50% of people will experience neck pain at some point in their life2 and general practitioners are consulted seven times per week for neck pain.3
Here are a few tips to help manage and prevent neck pain:
- Work on your posture – for every 2.5cm of forward head movement, the strain on your neck muscles doubles.
- Get the ergonomics right – make sure your computer screen is elevated so you are not looking down.
- Move your neck and shoulders gently through its full range everyday – forward and back, side to side and left to right.
- In bed, try and sleep on your side or back and avoid sleeping on your stomach. Ensure your pillow isn’t too high and is supportive of your neck.
Chiropractic care is one way to help manage and relieve discomfort caused by neck pain. Chiropractic adjustments reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body in an effort to reduce inflammation and improve function.
If you’re looking for an alternative to treating neck pain, why not consider a chiro? Visit considerachiro.org.au to find out more or to find your local ACA chiropractor visit findachiro.org.au
1. Digital Australia: State of the Nation 2015–16, Ernest & Young, https://digitalasiapacific.ey.com/Home/pdf?id=SotN-Report-AU-2015-16
2. Hogg-Johnson S, van der Velde G, Carroll LJ, et al. The Burden and Determinants of Neck Pain in the General Population: Results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000–2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Eur Spine J. 2008;17(Suppl 1):39-51. doi:10.1007/s00586-008-0624-y
3. Australian Journal of General Practice: https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2018/may/neck-pain
