Neck and Back Pain
by Haley Cooke | April, 5, 2023
It is the end of the work day and you seem to always have neck and back pain. Does this sound familiar? If so… check out a few tips below to give yourself some relief!
Stretch – Try to give yourself a few moments to stretch out your neck and back between projects you are working on. Throw in a few shoulder rolls, heads tilts, and toe touches to loosen up your body during the middle of the day. If you need more ideas, take a look at the 5-minute stretching exercises that have been sent out each week to those participating in the Injury Prevention Challenge!
Exercise – You probably are not surprised I have thrown this in here… but regular exercise does lead to stronger stabilizer muscles. These muscles support our weight and can help prevent neck and back pain to begin with. Throw in some pushups and planks during your day to strengthen your lower back. Something to note: A strong core helps to have a strong back… a weaker core contributes to a weaker back. These two regions work in connection with one another.
Check your working station – Refer to the delivered resources for proper ergonomics as often as you can. If you find yourself working in a less than ideal work station… (maybe your couch or your dining room table) I would bet your posture is suffering. By placing your spine in misalignment, you are causing unnecessary pressure on muscles and ligaments. Focus on relaxed shoulders and full back support. Make sure your ears line up with your shoulders and uncross your legs!
Other tips to consider – Foam rolling (see my previous blog post), yoga (check out our inhouse class on Fridays), or go get a massage!
If you find you are in constant pain, seek help. You can start with ice, heat, stretching, and exercise to help alleviate some of the pain. Most people are able to overcome back pain with physical therapy, rest, and appropriate exercise. Never be afraid to ask and seek help from a doctor before it becomes a chronic issue in your life.
I can attest that improving the core does indeed help with lessening back pain.
The information you gave out last month on proper posture at the desk has really helped me! My shoulders and neck often felt sore after work, but paying attention to the height of my desk and chair has helped a lot!
I love ending the day stretching my neck, hands, arms and legs. It’s also kind of cathartic. You can shake of the day with a good stretch. 🙂
Love the desk tips! I have been adding these to my day and it has really helped with neck and shoulder pain and stiffness.
I know a lot of people that have left stretching out of their exercise regiment, but it can be very beneficial to incorporate a regular time for stretching as greater flexibility lends to greater strength and speed.
The stretching tips are really helpful! That is something I can do at my desk. Working on my posture has helped my back pain as well.
I did not know that pushups strengthened your lower back. Good to know for the future.
Thank you for sending these out. Such useful information. Foam rolling has helped reduce my leg soreness after an extensive leg day workout.
Yoga on Fridays has been great with helping relieve some of my back pain. Thanks for the great info Haley, and the ability to do inhouse classes!
I can also attest that working out has helped with my neck and back pain! Since having Logan, I lost a lot of the necessary muscle that once kept me feeling limber. Its been nice to feel more stable with less aches and pains again!
I know I need to address how I sit at my desk, but this was definitely a good reminder to help push me to actually do it!
Starting at DIG I had back and neck pain along with neck tension. After starting to work out my core more I can attest to how having a stronger core and back muscles limits this pain. I still need to take breaks and do stretches but they are less frequent.
I can attest to how exercising your back and core decreases neck and back pain while at your desk. Starting off at DIG I had some neck and back pain because I wasn’t used to sitting for long periods of time so I had to take breaks and stretch frequently. After starting to work out a lot more frequently I have noticed the pain lessen.