Imagine it’s a Friday. You’ve just put in a long work day, and you can’t wait to get home. You finally stand up and—ouch! That excitement is short-lived.
Why? Well, it may have felt like you were resting the entire time, but in fact, your body was putting in just as much work as you were. If you weren’t sitting in a chair that was made for your body, then your muscles were straining all day long trying to keep you seated.
Your joints were overworked, your spine was working overtime trying to keep you balanced, and your whole body was pretzeled into a shape it doesn’t naturally go.
It’s no wonder you stood up and felt achy, creaky, and stiff—that’s just your body reacting to the strain it’d been under all day.
Working at a desk is a common cause of back and neck pain for office dwellers around the world.
In fact, just having your computer screen too low, too high, or too dim can cause undue stress on your body.
But you’ve gotta work, right? So how can you put an end to the constant struggle of work vs. comfort? Well, let’s first look at the facts of your pain.
Why Does My Neck Hurt After Sitting?
Time for some science.
The average human head weighs almost 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms), which is the equivalent of a full size bowling ball!
So if you bend your neck 45 degrees, suddenly your head is exerting nearly 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of force on your neck. (That’s a lot!)
And it doesn’t just hurt your neck. In addition to putting a strain on your joints and muscles, it also puts a strain on your breathing and mood. In short, it’s just no good for anyone.
But the real question is… what can be done? Well, we’ve put together a few tips for making your work day work for you, and they’re all about making your workstation as ergonomic as possible.
Here we go…
6 Ways to Minimize Neck Pain At Your Desk
Try Some Experimenting
Not sure if these tips will work for you? Well, you never know until you try—but helping your body get in an optimal position is one of the best ways you can stop or minimize neck pain.
Of course, if you really want to kick things up a notch, you can add these into your routine as well:
For Good Posture, Choose Omega Chair
No matter what you do, your chair has a lot to do with your overall posture. If you’re sitting in a bad chair (or one that lacks customizable options)... your position probably still isn’t going to be ideal.
So if back and neck pain have been a constant issue, it might be time to trade up.
With the Omega Chair, you can customize every aspect of your seating arrangement until it’s the perfect match for your body!