Thursday 4 July 2013

Neck and Shoulders a pain in the back?

The neck and shoulders are generally quite prone to injury. The neck is very mobile, which means it is not very stable when compared to other areas of the body, and the shoulder is a ball and socket joint with a large range of movement, again making susceptible to injury. Both the neck and the shoulder rely heavily on muscle groups in the area for stability, hence any dysfunction in any one of these muscles can cause a person pain or discomfort. Some of the more common causes of neck and shoulder pain include strains from overexertion, tendonitis from overuse, pinched nerves, and bad posture.

Bad posture can cause neck pain by putting extra strain on your ligaments and muscles. Standing with your shoulders slouched and chin jutted forward, working with your head down for long periods of time or slumping while seated are all common postural problems that can affect the shoulder and neck area in a negative way.

Prevention:


There are a number of different solutions which could help prevent such a situation, some of which include; taking a three minute break every thirty minutes to get up and walk around a little, customizing the height and backrest of your chair, so that your thighs are parallel to the ground and the weight of your torso is supported, and repositioning your monitor to arm’s length, among others.

Stretching out the pain:



If the pain is persistent, then there are a few other alternatives one could do, such as stretching out your muscles. Some neck exercises include stretching your hands back and holding the chair from behind your back while bending your neck backwards and arching your back. Holding your left wrist with your right hand and stretching slowly while pulling it away from your back, and vice versa, and sitting with a straight back, holding the top of your head with both hands and pulling it slowly towards your thighs, moving your chin towards your chest.

With regard to your shoulders sit in your chair and bend both hands behind your back and join your fingertips, one from under and the other from above your shoulders. Stretch both arms and repeat the other way round. You could also outstretch both arms and roll your shoulder joint in a clockwise and then anti-clockwise direction while still stretching your arm out.

 Switching to Yoga:



One could also perform a number of different yoga positions in order to help stretch out the shoulder and neck muscles, such as the Cow’s Head Pose and the Cobra pose. The Cow’s head pose is similar to one of the previously mentioned stretches, where both hands are bent behind the back, one over the shoulder and one from under, and your fingertips meet in the middle. Instead of doing this on a chair one must sit with his or her back straight while crossing and overlapping both legs so that the knees are bent and placed on top of one another.
 
The Cobra pose starts off a little differently. The initial position is lying flat on one’s stomach, then bending both elbows upwards so that the palms of your hands are at chest level while placed firmly on the floor. Push your upper body off the floor while arching your spine backwards and staying in this position for a few seconds before releasing.

Stayed tuned for more to see how you can eliminate these nasty pains you might have been suffering from for a long time. In the meantime, share with us what body parts you feel need most attention and what has been a pain for you!