Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”

In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.

Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Your Honolulu chiropractor can assist in eliminating the lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aide in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)

Good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.

Partial source: The New York Times, Health Review, June 22, 2009

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When we arise in the morning with a stiff and painful neck, the propensity is to blame the condition on our pillow, bed, or sleep position during that night. We also attempt to figure out what is happening when we move our neck suddenly and feel a sharp pain that feels as if something has suddenly slipped out of position or is pinching a “nerve.” It is useful to understand that most neck problems are rarely caused by a single incident, but instead by the cumulative effects of unsuitable sitting posture, poor work and living habits, lack of beneficial exercise and flexibility, and other lifestyle-related factors. Obviously, some neck problems are due to traumatic events such as a whiplash accident, a fall, or a sports injury.

Anatomy

In order to understand neck pain, it is important to have knowledge of the anatomy of the spine. The spinal bones or vertebrae of the neck are made up of posterior joints, called facets, that connect vertebrae to one another and serve to direct the motion of the spine. The inter-vertebral discs join the bodies of the vertebrae and are composed of a form of tough cartilage that surrounds a soft material in the center, called the nucleus. The main function of the disc is as a shock absorber and spacer between the vertebrae. In a canal found between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. Spinal nerves leave the spine between the vertebrae and provide energy to muscles and organs of the body. Transversely, they carry sensory impulses, including pain information, from the body to the brain.  The nerves that go out from the neck are in charge of the entire upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and hand, as well as structures of the head and neck. The natural forward curve of the neck balances the weight of the head and lessens stress on neck vertebrae. For more information please feel free to visit your Honolulu Chiropractor.

Risk Factors: Neck Pain and Computer Use

Computer use has risen significantly over the years, at home and in the workplace. Nowadays, a substantial amount of people spend eight to ten hours a day, or more, bent over a keyboard and staring at a monitor. When we sit with our head in a forward bent position-the posture that most desk workers take on-the ligaments that hold the facets together and the muscles in the neck are put under enormous strain. In addition, the normal forward curve of the neck becomes reversed causing more stress upon all the surrounding tissues of the neck. Awkward posture and repetitive stress can produce spinal problems including disc herniation and subluxations, which are the principal causes of spinal nerve irritation. In addition to general pain, spinal nerve pain in the neck can generate symptoms like headaches, eye problems, giddiness, arm and hand pain (and paraesthesia), as well as shoulder pain.

Whiplash and Chiropractic Care

Unfortunately, many people are involved in car accidents. Rear-end collisions are the most common. During such a collision, the head of the passenger in the front car is forcibly jerked back, and then forward, causing damage to the structure of both the front and back of the neck. This sort of trauma is often called a whiplash. Even at low speeds, the amount of force produced by such an accident is very powerful and can cause injury to the ligaments, muscles, facet joints, discs, and spinal nerves. Along with neck pain and immobility, symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vertigo, arm and shoulder pain, tingling in the hands and fingers and weakness of the arm and hand are coincidental with whiplash injury. It is vital to get immediate evaluation and x-rays to rule out the possibility of fracture. However in many cases, the injuries are principally to the soft tissues and joints. Proper management is essential in recovery from the pain and symptoms of whiplash, and also to prevent future disability. Your Honolulu Chiropractor is has years of experience in treating whiplash injury, and is more than capable of managing the case from beginning to end.

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