That Pain in Your Shoulders and Upper Back Won’t Stop Until You Do This
Do you feel constant tension in your upper back, shoulders, and neck? Maybe you get regular massage therapy to deal with that tension. Maybe you stretch regularly. You might even be taking over-the-counter medications.
There are many underlying causes of upper back/neck and shoulder pain but one of the most common is postural degeneration secondary to smart phone and computer use.
Wait. Before you say, “my posture is fine” and tune out, consider a couple of things.
1. If your work largely involves sitting at a computer, notice that when your arms are extended to a keyboard your chest muscles are shortened and your mid-back muscles are lengthened. If that occurs regularly over time, your body will adapt and change your posture in response.
2. Unless your monitor is ergonomically positioned (the top of the monitor should be around the same height as your eyebrows), your head is flexed forward all the time you’re on a computer. This is magnified with a laptop.
3. If you use a smartphone (and we ALL do), look at your posture while you use it. Head flexed forward; arms extended in front of your body.
No wonder you (and just about EVERY new patient I see) have regular neck pain, upper back pain, shoulder pain, and headaches. You wouldn’t be surprised with your chronic neck pain if you spent your entire workday with your head tilted to the right, would you?
You can treat the symptoms for the rest of your life, but you will never STOP these issues until you address the postural degeneration component.
How do you do that?
Start by ensuring any computer you work on is set up as ergonomically correct as possible. If you can get a sit-stand desk from your company, DO IT! Then try to use your smartphone in an upright position as much as possible (by upright I mean holding your phone at eye level, so your head isn’t flexed forward.
In the modern work environment, you probably won’t be able to correct these postural issues 100% of the time, but if you can reduce it as much as possible, it will make a huge difference in your health.
Carry on with the stretching and massage therapy. They have huge health benefits. But ALSO, invest yourself in correcting the underlying cause of your health problems. That has even huger health benefits.
As always, with love.
Dr. Colin
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