“Lockdown neck”
Neck pain caused by tech use and poor home office setupduring the lockdown
Many of us are working from home during the lockdown. Whilst a few days working from home might have been desirable before the lockdown, you might be finding that weeks of working on a laptop seated on a sofa or dining chair are taking their toll.
A lot of patients are consulting us about neck pain and tension headaches. Some of this is stress related but, on discussion, a lot of it can be attributed to poor home workstation set up. The main culprits are laptops and tablets.
Laptops and tablets are really designed for occasional use; not for near continuous use throughout the working day. Sustained use means that your neck is flexed for long periods.
A study of neck loading found that cervical loading dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees.
An adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds in the neutral position. As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees.
Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture and position of the head. Hansraj, KK. Surg. Technol. Int. 2014 Nov;25:277-9
This increased loading leads to strain in the muscles back on the back of the neck and tightening of the muscles in the front of the neck, which can lead to various symptoms including neck pain, mid back pain, tension headaches, jaw pain, forward head posture, stiffness, and numbness in the hands or fingers.
Prevention is better than cure:
A tablet or laptop is a great portable device to use for short periods of time but for longer periods a correctly set up workstation is the best option. Make sure you use the right tool for the job to ensure you are productive and working without compromising your health.
If you have to use a laptop or tablet to work, here are our top tips to prevent “Lockdown Neck”…..
Using tablets
Photo by CarmenMurillo/iStock / Getty Images
People spend an average of 2-4 hrs a day with their heads tilted over reading and texting on their smart phones and devices. Cumulatively this is 700 to 1400 hours a year of excess stresses seen about the cervical spine. While it is nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues, individuals should make an effort to look at their phones with a neutral spine and to avoid spending hours each day hunched over.
When reading, use a stand or tilt the tablet to reduce the need for you to bend your head forward to read.
Whenever possible try to place the tablet on a surface rather than holding it.
If you are using the on-screen keyboard for extended periods consider using a blue tooth external keyboard to ensure your wrists are not in awkward positions.
Remember movement is really important, if you find yourself using a tablet intensively for more than 10-20 mins take a short break, stretch your hands, shoulders and neck and look into the distance to relax your eyes.
Using laptops
Laptops allow us to work more flexibly, but that convenience comes at a cost. The combination of keyboard and monitor mean that you can’t maintain the 90-degree angle that is possible with a computer monitor, and poor posture leads to pain.
We recommend that you raise your laptop screen and use an external keyboard, as shown in the image above. A laptop stand is optimal, but simply putting it on a pile of books will work just as well. You will need to use an external keyboard and mouse connected by Bluetooth or USB.
Here is how to set your workstation up to make your laptop safer and more comfortable to use:
Products to improve your home workstation
We stock various products in clinic but, as access to the clinic is restricted during the lockdown, these products are temporarily unavailable. As an interim alternative, we recommend the following home workstation solutions.
If your seat is a dining chair, correct your lumbar posture with an 11o seating wedge
Separate your laptop screen from the keyboard by using a laptop stand and an external keyboard