Mankato Chiropractor Offers Tips on Preventing Back and Neck Pain While Sitting

Mar 21, 2014

Do you ever find yourself in pain after sitting at work for long periods of time?  Sitting, back pain, and neck pain can all be related to one another.  In fact, some people refer to sitting as the new smoking, a quite powerful comparison.  As a Chiropractor here in Mankato, I see patients every week with problems related to sitting.

So why does your neck hurt?  Well, this especially applies to those working with computers on a daily basis.  Here are a few tips to reduce the stress and strain on your neck during the work day:

1)      Get your computer as close to your eye level as possible.  You want to avoid staring down at the computer at all cost.

2)      Don’t let your head and neck lean forward towards the computer.  As you do this, you start developing forward head posture.  This increases the pressure and strain on your neck and upper back.  It also forces the muscles on the front of your neck to shorten, which can cause an imbalance along with added pressure to the joints of the neck and upper back.

3)      Sit up nice and straight.  Keep your head over your shoulders and keep your shoulders as relaxed as possible.

Why does my back hurt after I sit for an extended period of time?

1)      When you sit, a group of muscles know as hip flexors are forced to shorten up.  Well, since these hip flexors are connected to your low back, extra stress and strain is place on the low back when they shorten.  This is one of the reasons you should get out of your chair and stretch at least once per hour. 

2)      Between each segment of your spine there is a disc that acts as a shock absorber for your spine.  This disc is made of mainly water and fibrous tissue.  The only way to keep this disc hydrated is to keep moving.  It is the motion of your body, especially your spine that forces water into this disc.  Without this shock absorbing effect in your spine, the joints become stiff, and can start to break down and cause pain.

Do your best to follow a few of these tips, and you should immediately see some improvement.  If not, give us a call at 507-387-5591 and we will help determine what exactly is causing your aches and pains.  No one deserves to live with pain, especially when it can be prevented in the first place!