How can I best manage my neck pain as I work in front of a computer?

Hi 

Your complaint is a very common condtion amongst people who are desk workers. Postural strain from sitting all day causes forward head carriage and muscle strain. The traction (stretch) from the forward carriage on the spinal cord and nerve roots combined with muscle tension could be the cause of the pain in both your arms. Hopefully your physiotherapist has ruled out any serious causes such as disc herniation. I'd would recommend you ask them this to be sure.

it relation to your current therapy. The onset of this although may seem sudden, has actually been over several months if not years. Gradual deconditioning and muscle stiffness has created this. Would you expect something to disappear that has been going on for years? 
the best therapy would be using both a combination of both manual therapies and postural correction exercises. If not you may want to seek a second opinion.

hope this helps 

Dr Nicholas Miller 

There are no quick fixes for the type of pain you are describing. It is important to continue with the physiotherapy management as recommended and with regular treatment it may take 2-3 weeks to even start to see substantial relief. I agree with Nicholas Miller that a significant disc injury needs to be rules out.

In the meantime the best thing you can do at work is make sure you are sitting with a neutral posture. This is the most important thing and requires your chair, desk and computer to be set up appropriately. The physiotherapy should go through this in a detailed fashion. You need to take regular breaks to get up and walk around as this helps to release the tightness in the neck and upper back. 

I would usually use some sports tape over the shoulders to help keep you in an appropriate upright position.

Neck pain following desk-bound work is extremely common in the workplace. It can cause a “slouching posture,” forward head carriage, back pain stiffness etc… I would recommend a multi-focal treatment plan. As osteopaths we treat many patients experiencing similar symptoms through various techniques and self-management strategies. I would be focussed on improving your posture as this will help aleviate your symptoms and prevent future flare-ups.

I am also interested to know how long you are sitting at the desk for? Are you there for hours without moving? Or do you take regular breaks? Getting up even for 20 seconds every 30minutes or so will help greatly.

A workplace ergonomic assessment will also help. This is where someone comes into your office and assesses your desk, computer, chair etc…They analyse the angles/heights at your station and will set it up correctly as to prevent any work related aches, pains and injuries. These can be arranged via your manager and are free.

In addition to this I would encourage you to stretch your neck and chest. This again will help reduce pain and improve posture by decreasing the tension in your muscles.

Give us a call at Spring Osteo on 9830 7044 to make an appointment.

A lot of that has to do with posture. We talk to the patient a lot about posture, the correct sitting and setting up ergonomically of your workstation.
So you want to have in place is your computer at a reasonable height and making sure everything is accessible and your seat is shaped properly to the curve your spine.
We could also do some basic stretches which are easy to do at your work desk each day to encourage muscle tone.
It really depends on the circumstance of the neck pain.

These are all great answers. I note that your described pain is in the neck and fingers of both hands. I understand you are receiving care at present but we do not know what your diagnosis is or treatment being aimed at. While it might be assumed that all your symptoms are attributed to your neck, you may have more than one area of injury, such as the shoulder joints, forearm extensors and wrists.

If you are still having pain, consider asking your therapist to check all the areas of pain as we see many desk workers with a combination of neck, shoulder, forearm and wrist issues. The comments above have already alerted you to the need for better desk ergonomics and regular stretching.

Simply sitting closer to the desk, removing arms from the chair, keeping your elbows bent and your mouse closer to you may improve your working position.

I agree with all the comments about.  On our webpage is a link to a information sheet on correct ergonomic posture that has been provided by the Australian Physiotherapy Association.  It may be worthwhile having a look at it and checking your desk setup.
http://www.fountaingatephysio.com.au//Links/links.html#physiotherapy-information-sheets

Hi There,

Sorry to hear about your pain.

I would suggest that you see a McKenzie physiotherapist….

Why?  Well they aim to show you:

• one key exercise to reduce your pain
  
• show you how to correct and maintain good posture
  
• if they can't help within 2 sessions, they will be able to tell.
  

Just google the McKenzie Insititue and aim to find someone with a Dip MDT - which is the advanced level of McKenzie training. 

You may also want to google - Robin McKenzie Method - to find out abit more about this self-management philophosy. 

Best of luck