4 Tips to Manage Neck Pain at Your Desk Job

Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint that affects as many as one in five adults (20%) in the United States at any given time. While it can have many possible causes, you’re more likely to deal with a stiff, achy neck if you work at a desk.    

If your desk job has become a literal “pain in the neck,” Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates can help. Here, board-certified pain management specialist Dr. Okezie N. Okezie offers four practical ways to manage this distracting problem so you can focus on the task at hand — your job.  

1. Create a more ergonomic setup

A typical desk job involves sitting for hours while working on a computer. This is a veritable recipe for neck and lower back strain—not to mention tense shoulders and stiff, achy legs—but it doesn’t have to be. 

The first step in preventing these problems? Creating an ergonomic setup that supports increased physical comfort and efficiency. Key changes involve adjusting chair height, computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse placement. An ergonomic setup has:

• A monitor that’s situated an arm’s length away 
• A screen that’s positioned slightly below eye level
• A chair height that keeps your knees and hips level
• A chair height that keeps your feet flat on the floor
• A chair that provides proper lower back support
• A desk height that keeps your elbows at 90 degrees
• Keyboard placement that keeps your wrists neutral

Ergonomic accessories, such as a footrest, lumbar support cushion, padded wrist rest, and headset, can also provide extra support for frequent phone calls. 

2. Remain mindful of your posture 

An ergonomic setup is more comfortable and makes it easier to maintain good posture when sitting at your desk. Proper seated posture is key to reducing muscle strain and preventing and easing neck pain.

An ergonomic workspace supports optimal joint alignment in your limbs and a neutral spine from your tailbone to the top of your head. Your job? To become aware of your “posture failure points,” or those moments of fatigue or intense concentration when you start hunching your shoulders, slouching in your chair, or craning your head forward.   

To avoid neck strain, keep your head directly over your spine, with your ears over your shoulders and your chin gently tucked. Roll your shoulders back and down to keep them relaxed, and avoid tilting your chin forward. 

3. Take breaks throughout the day 

Even if your setup is supportive and your posture is perfect, sitting at a desk all day can still leave your body—including your neck—feeling stiff and achy. The best way to reduce the painful effects of a sedentary workday is to break it up with frequent bouts of activity and purposeful movement.

Because neck pain is often accompanied by shoulder tension, headaches, or both — and because the risk of slouching and hunching increases the longer you sit, we recommend: 

Move regularly

Get up and walk around for a few minutes every 30 minutes. If you’re working on a tight deadline or a large project, set an alarm on your phone to get up and move for at least five minutes every hour of sitting. 

Stretch your neck

When neck tension takes hold, take a short break and stretch your neck. Simple, gentle stretching exercises, like the chin tuck, the ear-to-shoulder touch, and rolling head rotations, can go a long way in easing neck muscle tension at the moment and helping prevent its escalation throughout the day.  

Ease eye strain 

The eye strain associated with computer work can contribute to shoulder tension, neck pain, and headaches. Get periodic relief with a regular “reset” by following the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. 

4. Know when to seek expert care 

If these interventions don’t solve your on-the-job neck pain problem, it may be time to see a pain medicine expert. There may be something more fundamental going on — rather than being the direct cause of your neck pain, your desk job may just be an exacerbating factor.  

Your neck pain could benefit from expert care if you:

• Are relying on OTC pain relievers most days
• Have been having neck pain for many weeks
• Experience neck pain before or after driving 
• Often wake up with neck pain in the morning
• Experience neck pain when you’re stressed

Often, persistent neck pain stems from a condition—such as trigger points in the myofascial tissue that covers the neck muscles—that can benefit from a pain relief procedure (like trigger point injections). Dr. Okezie always pairs neck pain treatments with physical therapy to correct any contributing imbalances and help foster long-term relief.      

Are you coping with ongoing neck pain? Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates is here to help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest office in Humble or Baytown, Texas, today.