A major complaint that you will hear from office and factory workers is having tensions felt on the shoulders and neck areas. People who work on the computer or do repetitive upper body movements for several hours are the ones susceptible to experiencing nasty neck and shoulder pain.
If you ...A major complaint that you will hear from office and factory workers is having tensions felt on the shoulders and neck areas. People who work on the computer or do repetitive upper body movements for several hours are the ones susceptible to experiencing nasty neck and shoulder pain.
If you are an office worker, a baker, a chef or someone whose work requires you to use your upper body a lot, you can actually prevent the occurrence of shoulder and neck aches. More often than not, changing some of your habits or postures can really help not only in alleviating existing pain, but also preventing them from coming back. Here are some of the things you can do to prevent neck and shoulder woes:
Have A Break
If you do not want to cause irreparable damage to your neck and shoulders or even to your eyes, fingers and wrists, then you need to take a break from working on your computer every 10 to 20 minutes. Working on your desk for hours on end might help you finish your deadline earlier, but it is very bad for your body. You see, your body needs a couple of minutes of rest to cope from the strain that sitting and typing or writing for hours on end can bring.
For an instant neck and shoulder strain relief, place your folded or crossed arms on a desk. Then, rest your forehead on your arms for a few minutes. This will help relax your neck and shoulder muscles and also give your eyes some time to rest.
Know The Proper Way To Answer The Phone
Since many are avid fans of multitasking, it is not uncommon to see people simultaneously working on their desks while talking on the phone. In order for them to achieve these two tasks properly, you will see people tilting their head to pin the phone receiver in between their ears and shoulders while typing away. This activity may save you time, but it will surely give you neck pain and muscle tensions.
Instead of titling your head, why don't you hold the receiver properly? So as not to waste time, you should make your telephone conversations short, especially if it is not work related. If you are using a mobile phone, then it would be ideal just to buy head or earphones so you do not have to hold the phone with your head and neck.
Maintain Proper Posture
People with poor posture usually have shoulder, neck and even back pains even when they are just standing or sitting up. If you do not know how to stand or sit properly, you may inadvertently cause muscle tensions.
Flex Your Muscles
People who are living sedentary lifestyles are prone to having muscle strains, especially when they make sudden movements. It is important to note that your muscles will stiffen, and eventually atrophy, if you are not using them. Thus, sudden movements or doing strenuous exercise without stretching or warming up could strain or pull some of your neck and shoulder muscles that haven't been used for quite a while.
If you do not want to experience any muscle pains, you need to remember to do some warming up and stretching before exerting any effort. Better yet, exercise regularly so that you won’t have any problems with stiff muscles.
For people who are already suffering from shoulder and neck pains, there are a lot of things you can do to relieve the pain. Softly massaging the area with muscle pain-reliever oil or ointment can help alleviate aches. You can also take supplements that are aimed at easing muscle tensions and relieving pain. One product that you can count on for your joint and muscle discomforts is Flexcerin. Visit http://tinyurl.com/8jkw6ma for more information.
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine www.thearticleinsiders.com.