Prolonged computer use can cause neck stiffness and pain due to monitor placement. Adjusting the monitor’s position can reduce or prevent pain, and regular stretching and strengthening exercises can also help.
It is important for those who spend a lot of time using computers to understand the connection between computers and neck pain. Many people know from experience that prolonged computer use can cause neck stiffness and pain. What many of these individuals don’t know, however, is that this discomfort is often due to monitor placement, and therefore can usually be greatly reduced or even prevented with a few minor adjustments. Performing regular stretching and strengthening exercises can also help break the link between computers and neck pain.
While working, writing a document, playing a video game or simply browsing the Internet, the head, shoulders and upper body are often held in unnatural positions for long periods of time. In response to this unnatural posture, the muscles, tendons, ligaments or joints in the neck may become stiff and sore. This pain can range from a mild discomfort that is felt only when the head is turned in a certain direction to a long-lasting, sharp pain that severely inhibits neck mobility.
Fortunately, the link between computers and neck pain is unbreakable. The main reason computer users hold their upper bodies in unnatural positions while working is that their monitors are not positioned correctly in their workspace. By adjusting the position of your monitor, you can reduce or even prevent computer-related neck pain.
The first step in breaking the connection between the computer and neck pain is to make sure the monitor is centered in front of the user. This eliminates the need to rotate your head, neck and upper body to face the computer screen. Also, the monitor should be positioned at arm’s length from the user and should be angled so that its top edge rises approximately 3 cm (7.6 inches) above where your eyes naturally rest when looking straight ahead to itself. These two adjustments eliminate the need for the user to bend or stretch their neck while working.
If these simple adjustments don’t completely sever the connection between a computer and neck pain, a regular routine of stretching and strengthening exercises can help. For a good neck stretch, try dropping your head toward your chest and then twisting it clockwise and counterclockwise several times. To strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles, grab a 2- or 3-pound dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your arms at your sides. Slowly raise your shoulders and then return to the starting position. Perform two sets of ten repetitions, three times a week.
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