Tips to Prevent Neck Pain
It’s probably safe to say that most of us at some point in time have woken up with neck pain or can recall an event or injury that resulted in neck pain. In fact, at any given time, 13% of American adults (women more than men) suffer from neck pain.
Neck pain usually arises from muscles, tendons, and ligaments—commonly referred to as the soft tissues—in and around the cervical spine (the neck).
Neck pain is most commonly caused by injuries and sprains to the soft tissue.
Muscle strain and resulting muscle spasm is often caused by an underlying neck problem, such as spinal stenosis, arthritis, or disc degeneration and can be triggered from trauma but frequently occurs insidiously, or for no obvious or identifiable reasons.
Whether your neck pain is from a chronic condition or if you've just woken up with a stiff neck, the following tips should help you experience less pain.
Follow these tips to protect your neck from injury:
Try a new pillow.
In terms of comfort and support for your neck while you sleep, there are many options and you may need some trial and error to find what works best for you. As a general rule, it is best to use a pillow that keeps your cervical spine in neutral alignment—meaning, the natural curve of your neck is supported and maintained.
There are a number of options, and what works best for you will largely be determined on the cause of your neck problem as well as your sleep preferences. Here are a few examples:
Some people find that their neck pain decreases when they lie down on their back with the head supported by a relatively flat pillow, or with an orthopedic pillow that has a deeper depression where the head lies and extra support under the neck.
Other people find that support with a pillow when side-lying is more comfortable.
Some prefer sitting in a recliner, or in an adjustable bed with the upper part of the body at an incline. In this reclining position, they can use a small or relatively flat pillow.
If you're like most people, you change your sleep position during the night, so be sure to have a pillow—or more than one pillow—that works for each of your sleep positions
Sleep on your back if you can.
In general, sleeping on your back is the best position to let your entire spine rest comfortably. Some people with neck problems find it helps to sleep on their back and place a pillow under each arm, with the idea that supporting each arm takes strain off the neck.
Some people with spinal arthritis or stenosis may find that sleeping at a slight incline is easier, so they add a foam wedge pillow to their bed and/or switch to an adjustable bed.
See Considerations Before Buying an Adjustable Bed
If you prefer to sleep on your side, make sure your pillow is not too high—usually around 4 to 6 inches thick, depending on the density of the pillow material and the distance between the neck and point of the shoulder. This height should typically prevent your head and neck from turning or bending unnaturally to either side.
The bottom line is if it’s not comfortable, it’s not a good “fit”!
Make sure your computer monitor is at eye level.
Sit comfortably in front of your computer and close your eyes. When you open them, your gaze should be directly in the middle of your computer screen. If you find you have to look down, you need to prop up your monitor so that it is higher.
Laptops most often require you to angle your head downward to see the screen, so connecting your laptop to a separate monitor, or screen, is often very helpful.
