Why does my neck hurt by lunchtime, and what can I do at my desk?

Neck pain at the desk

Jessica talks with Lee Albert, NMT · about 5 minutes

Why does my neck hurt by lunchtime?

Jessica

Lee, someone sits down at nine feeling fine. By noon the neck is tight and the shoulders are burning. What’s going on?

Lee

A tug of war. Your head drifts forward to the screen. Your shoulders round in. Now the muscles in front, the chest and the front of the neck, get short and tight. The muscles in back get pulled long. They’re the ones holding your head up all morning. And they’re the ones that burn.

Is the sore spot the problem?

Jessica

So the sore spot isn’t the problem?

Lee

Often, no. The sore spot is the victim. The tight side is the culprit. That’s why rubbing or stretching the back of the neck rarely lasts. You’re stretching a muscle that’s already overstretched. In my work, we release the short side first. Then the long side can let go on its own.

What can I do at my desk?

Jessica

What does that look like at a desk?

Lee

Release first. Then move. Little and often. A couple of times a day beats one long session.

Lee

Start with a desk release. Sit back in your chair. Rest both forearms on the desk, or on armrests, high enough that your shoulders lift a little toward your ears. Let the desk hold your arms. Let your head get heavy. Don’t push anything. Just breathe. Stay a minute or two. You’re putting tight muscles in a shortened, supported position, so they can stop guarding. It’s passive. Gravity does the work.

Lee

Second, seated cat cow. Sit at the front of the chair, hands on your knees. Breathe out and round your back. Let the head drop. Breathe in, open the chest, eyes level. Eight to ten slow rounds. The upper back gets stuck at a desk. When it moves again, the neck stops doing its job for it.

Lee

Third, the chin tuck. Sit tall. Look straight ahead. Glide your head straight back, like a hand is pressing gently on your chin. Eyes stay level. It’s small. A centimetre or two is plenty. Hold about ten seconds. You’ll feel work at the front of the neck and a stretch at the base of the skull. Common mistake? Tipping the chin down. If your eyes drop toward the floor, that’s a nod. Keep it level.

Lee

Fourth, a wall slide. Back near a wall, forearms and hands on it, elbows bent. Slide the arms up. Slowly. Then slowly down. Down is the half people rush. Thirty to sixty seconds. Only go as high as you can with your low back quiet. If your ribs flare to buy height, you’ve gone too far. This teaches the shoulder blades to move with the arms, instead of hiking toward the ears.

Lee

Last one, for when you get home. Open book. Lie on your side, knees bent, arms out in front. Open the top arm like a book. Follow your hand with your eyes. Eight each side. Slowly. Lying down, the low back can’t cheat. The rotation has to come from the upper back. Exactly where a desk takes it away.

What should I notice?

Jessica

Five movements. What should people notice?

Lee

Shoulders that stop creeping toward your ears. Turning your head without the stiffness. Fewer tension headaches by afternoon. Work at the front of the neck in the chin tuck is normal. Strain at the base of the skull, or a clenched jaw, is not. Make it smaller. If anything sends symptoms into an arm, come out of it.

When should I stop and get it looked at?

Jessica

Is there anything that means don’t do this, and call someone?

Lee

Yes. A sudden, severe headache. Neck pain after an accident or a fall. Weakness in an arm or hand. Numbness or tingling down the arm that doesn’t ease with a break or a change of position. Chest pain. Clumsy hands, dropping things, or an unsteady walk. Pain that’s severe, or wakes you every night. Get those looked at. Chest pain or a sudden severe headache needs same-day attention. Nothing in this episode applies until that’s ruled out.

How do I stop tomorrow being the same?

Jessica

Last question. How do we stop tomorrow being the same?

Lee

Take away the reason the imbalance builds. Three things. First, bring the screen to you. Not your head to the screen. Raise the monitor until you look straight ahead. Phone at chest height. Second, keep your elbows close to your ribs. Reaching for a mouse all day makes your shoulders carry the weight of your arms. Third, reset every twenty to thirty minutes. Chin back. Shoulders down. One slow breath. Set a reminder. Nobody holds a position for hours without drifting. And stand up between calls. Sitting isn’t the enemy. Staying still is.