Hacks Every Office Worker Should Know to Protect Their Neck

Consider this: The average American spends a ridiculous amount of time (8 hours!) daily looking at a phone or computer. While that habit can’t be good for your eyes or mental health, it is not conducive to musculoskeletal health.

Tilting your head to look down means that your neck supports the weight of your head instead of your body. That’s a lot of pressure on your neck when you look down at your phone or computer for many hours. Studies show that looking down can add around 60 pounds of pressure to your neck muscles. 

At The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre, our expert team of sports medicine and pain management providers share their tips and hacks to help office workers protect their necks on the job.

Invest in a good chair

Whether you work from home or in an office, sitting in the right chair is essential to your comfort and neck health. Ensure your chair height is adjusted so your feet comfortably rest on the floor. Use a footrest to ensure that your thighs are parallel to the floor if they’re not. And lastly, if your chair has armrests, adjust them so that your arms rest on them, your shoulders are at ease, and your elbows are close to your body. 

Make sure the monitor is in the correct position

Whether you use a laptop or a desktop computer, the screen you look at should be in the correct position. For a monitor, ensure it’s in front of your keyboard about an arm’s length away. The top of the monitor should be below or at eye level. If you use a laptop, consider getting an external keyboard, mouse, and laptop stand to follow the same tips.

Step away from your screen

Take regular breaks throughout the day to give your neck, eyes, mind, and body a well-needed break and reset. The longer you sit watching your screen, the more likely your body gets tired, affecting your posture. Poor posture contributes to neck pain. Set a timer on your computer or phone so you get up and walk around about every 30 minutes.

Do not look down at your phone

According to a PC Magazine survey, the average person checks their cell phone 144 times a day! If you can’t kick your cell phone habit, at least be sure that when you’re checking it, you’re sitting up straight and keeping your device at chest or eye level.

Reducing the time you spend looking down at a device can be challenging. If your neck gets strained from work or overuse, Dr. Philip can help develop a treatment and prevention plan to eliminate your neck pain. Contact us to make an appointment with our team at our The Woodlands and Conroe, Texas, clinic.