FEELING GREAT: How to avoid a pain in the neck

When you sleep at night, do you find yourself sleeping on your stomach? Or, with more than one pillow in a twisted position?

When you’re relaxing at home, do you find yourself looking up at the TV screen because it’s hung up high on the wall?

When you’re out and about do you carry your bag on one shoulder? Or hold your heavy brief case in one hand?

Chances are, you’ve answered ‘yes’ to at least one of these questions. So it’s no surprise that during my time as a physio that one of the most regular injuries I see is neck pain. So lets take a look three of the most common everyday mistakes I’ve found my patients doing that cause their neck pain:

Watching TV - Watching TV is a habit – not saying it’s good or bad! But the real issue with watching TV, is HOW you watch it! Are you doing it the way I see most of my friends and family watch it, with the TV hung above the fire place high on the wall, kicked back with your feet up (and neck!), while watching your favourite TV soap opera?

Even though you might think it’s comfortable and relaxing, truth is, there could be a problem waiting for you! If you’re watching TV like this it can be strenuous for your neck and head.

Anyway, how to fix it? There’s a reason why TV stands are almost always the same height, and any decent one will mean that if you’re sitting on the sofa watching TV, the TV will be at eye level. Watch TV so your head isn’t looking upwards, or reaching out, and this should help you avoid headaches, eye trouble and muscle tension.

Your Bag - Carrying your bag on one shoulder, or holding a heavy brief case in one hand is something most of us are guilty of doing, but did you know that’s also one of the main causes of aches and pains in your neck and shoulders?

You see, since all of the weight of your bag is on one shoulder, or on one side of the body, it can throw your muscles and posture off balance, which is why you sometimes see people with one shoulder higher than the other! .

So the way to solve this problem is reduce the weight of your bag, and to switch the side you carry it on periodically. Switching your bag over to the opposite side will help to balance out the way your body carries the weight, relieving any tension built up in your muscles, and solving any posture problems too! Switch it up every 10 minutes, or every time you walk past two streets.

How we sleep - Another daily habit that brings on neck pain is the way we sleep.

You see if you sleep with your head propped up on more than one pillow, your neck, and back aren’t going to be nicely in-line – meaning more pressure on your muscles and spine. And if you find yourself sleeping on your stomach, your head is most likely going to be turned on its side – meaning your body is in a twisted position all night for hours!

Although your neck is built to rotate from side to side, it’s not designed to stay in that position for hours on end. So if you choose to sleep on your side, use a pillow that doesn’t prop your head too high up, but in-line with your shoulder instead. And if you choose to sleep on your back, sleep with one thin pillow so your neck and spine are nicely straight.

For more ways and advice to ease neck and shoulder pain, visit www.paulgoughphysio.com/neck-shoulder-pain or give us a call free on 0800 043 8671.