Do you have a pain in your neck that just won't go away? How about tension headaches or a stiff shoulder? If so, you're not alone. Aching pain in neck and shoulders can be quite frustrating. It can make it difficult to concentrate at work, or even get a good night's sleep. Millions of people suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain. In this blog post, we'll discuss the causes of neck and shoulder pain, and we'll provide some tips on how to fix it!
Lets look at the common causes of stiffness in your neck and your shoulder area. These are poor posture and lack of movement. You might not be aware but the way you sit at your desk or even stand can put a lot of strain on your neck and shoulders. This is especially true if you work at a desk all day. When you don't move around enough, your muscles can start to tighten up and cause pain. The same goes for your posture. Most of our everyday activities are flexor dominant, which means we are constantly hunching forward. This can lead to rounded shoulders and a lot of tension in the upper back and neck area. To help fix these issues, lets consider three easy tips.
The first tip is to make sure that you take a break. Just get up and move around every 20 to 30 minutes or so to loosen up your muscles. If you are in a meeting or a video call and you can't get up, just take a few deep breaths. As you breathe out drop your shoulders down. Shuffle around in your chair, even if it means simply crossing and uncrossing your legs.
The second tip is to try and do some movements to destress your spine. These could simply mean moving your neck from one side to the other, looking up etc. To learn some simple desk-based exercises, you can watch this video ....
You can do these movements two to three times every hour or two hours.
The third tip is to be more aware of your posture. Posture doesn't only mean an erect spine when sitting. It is maintaining your spine in neutral while standing, sleeping, driving, cooking, walking, exercising and all your everyday activities.
Lets consider the example of driving. We know we have to sit up straight when driving but what most of us don't realize is that the distance between the steering wheel from your body is also vital in maintaining your shoulders in neutral. try and keep the steering wheel at a distance where your elbows are slightly bent and not completely straight. Another tip is to hold your steering wheel at the mid to lower part so as to not shrug your shoulders as this can lead to neck and shoulder stiffness.
So there you have it, three easy and simple tips to manage those achy neck and shoulders.
If you are suffering from pain in the neck or shoulders, feel free to join my free community where I share more of these tips and simple exercises to help you out.
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