3 things we do every day that can cause neck pain

How about we ask you a few questions to help you live with less neck pain? If you answer “yes” to any of them, we recommend you read on.

When you sleep at night, do you sleep on your stomach or with more than one pillow in a twisted position?
When you relax at home, do you look at the TV screen because it’s hanging high on the wall?
When you go outside, do you carry your purse on one shoulder?

Chances are you’ve answered “yes” to at least one of these three questions. And as you’ve seen, these are things we do every day that can cause neck pain.

So, let’s take a look at the 3 most common mistakes we encounter in our patients that cause “neck pain”.

1) Watching television.

Watching TV is a habit, but the real problem with watching TV is HOW you watch it!

Are you doing it with the TV hanging high on the wall, propped up with your feet up, while watching your favorite show?

While you may think it’s comfortable and relaxing, the truth is that it may be creating a problem for you. If you’re watching TV this way, it can be taxing on your neck and head.

Many people make the same mistake, and don’t realize that the position they’re in could be affecting their body and their health.

How can this be solved? TV stands are almost always the same height to protect the neck. If you are sitting on the couch watching TV, the TV will be at the height of your eyes.

When you watch TV, don’t let your head look up or extend, and this will help you avoid headaches, eye problems and muscle tension.

2) Your purse

Carrying your purse on one shoulder is something most of us are guilty of, but did you know it’s also one of the leading causes of neck and shoulder pain?

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

This is why the way to solve this problem is to reduce the weight of your bag and periodically change the side on which it is carried.

Shifting your bag to the opposite side will help balance the way your body supports the weight, relieving the tension accumulated in the muscles and thus also solving any posture problems! A tip is to change it every 10 minutes or every time you pass two streets.

3) How we sleep

Another habit we have on a daily basis is the way we sleep.

You may notice that if you sleep with your head resting on more than one pillow, your neck and back are not well aligned, which means you will have more pressure on your muscles and spine.

Also, if you find yourself sleeping on your stomach, your head will most likely be on its side. This means your body is in a twisted position all night for hours at a time and that is very damaging.

Although your neck is designed to rotate from side to side, it is not designed to stay in that position for many hours. So if you choose to sleep on your side, use a pillow that doesn’t lift your head too much, but is in line with your shoulder. And if you choose to sleep on your back, sleep with a thin pillow so that your neck and spine are straight.

If you have more questions, I encourage you to come to our Nordicfysio clinic in Punta Prima or contact us and we will see what the cause is and how we can solve it.