Your neck consists of seven very small vertebrae and supports the entire weight of your head. The average weight of the human head is 10 to 12 pounds, which isn't very light when you consider the neck is constantly supporting it!
Add in how much neck strain is incurred when you sit for long periods in front of the computer and you steadily increase the amount of work and strain you are expecting of your neck.
The neck also allows your head in nearly all directions which adds even more stress to your neck. With all of this responsibility, the neck is subject a great deal of stress, which often results in chronic pain and stiffness.
Once neck pain has been persistent for any period of time, you may begin to develop neurological symptoms. These may include numbness, tingling, or a "pins and needles" feeling. Usually these complaints are in the neck at all, but can be felt in the fingertips or up and down the arm.
If you begin to experience any of the neurological symptoms, this is usually an indicator that the neck problem is becoming worse. The early phase of pain is just stiffness, then it moves to real pain that can be sharp in nature. The pain will continue to get worse until the radiating symptoms begin.
Many people have neck pain and it is often extremely bothersome. Medical doctors cannot do a whole lot to permanently relieve neck pain. They can prescribe medications to mask your neck pain and they can do x-rays and other tests to see where the pain is coming from.
When they do find something wrong with the neck they will probably want to schedule surgery, which can prove to be a painful procedure with a long recovery. Surgery, while sometimes necessary, really should be considered a treatment of last resort. You can always do the surgery, but if you do the surgery first, you eliminate many other effective and conservative options.
If you have neck pain it may be wise to consult with a chiropractor before going to the extent of something much more serious such as surgery. Some of the first things that a chiropractor will do on your first visit will be to ask you questions about your neck pain.
Some questions they may ask are:
- When did your neck pain start
- What have you done to try to ease your neck pain
- Are there any other parts of your body that your neck pain stems to or from?
These are a few questions that your Chiropractor will most likely ask. After the initial consultation they will then perform a physical examination. The examination will consist of chiropractic tests, orthopedic tests, and a neurological examination. This entire process will allow the chiropractor to get to the root of your problem and allow him or her to come up with a solution to your pain.
A common practice of chiropractors is to perform a neck adjustment. A neck adjustment is a form of spinal manipulation, and is very specific in nature. This is a very precise technique and is usually very effective in alleviating neck pain.
There are many signs that you're developing a posture problem. Back and shoulder blade pain is a common one. These areas of the body are under a lot of additional stress and pressure when your spine is not in a good position all day.
If your daily activities require you to sit in front of the computer all day, back and shoulder blade pain may be on their way if you don't take steps to prevent it. If you've already got these symptoms, the treatment is the same as the prevention.
As a frequent computer user, you've probably already been told to take breaks from sitting in that position at least once per hour. Doing this give the muscles a chance to relax and regroup.
A good formula is to figure out how long you can work before you experience the first symptoms. Let's say that's 55 minutes. Subtract ten minutes from that time and you've got the longest amount of time you should spend in front of the computer before taking some sort of break.
What are you doing during that five minutes of rest? Are you still in a position that will continue to allow the muscles in the front of your body to grow short? Take the time to stretch them out. Or you can keep working, but maybe it's time to return a few phone calls or drop off those files to the guy down the hall. Just break up your activity and get some movement.
A quick and easy stretch that will actually keep the pain from coming back right away can be done right in your office. Find an open doorway and brace yourself against the frame. Push forward and feel your chest muscles and the front of your shoulders stretch. Hold it for just a few seconds. Now repeat that about five times.
Are you giving your back muscles a chance to improve in strength? A simple exercise to help with back and shoulder blade pain is slowly move your shoulder blades together. One way of describing this motion is to imagine that you are squeezing an orange between your shoulder blades. Hold that position for a few seconds and release.
It's not necessarily your work that's causing your problem, but it is likely that your daily activities are very repetitive and they are leading to your posture issue and your back and shoulder blade pain. Take some small steps and you'll be amazed at the difference.
You sit down at your computer, ready to put in a full day's work and make some serious headway on your projects. You know you'll easily be spending 8 to 10 hours sitting in front of the computer.
You've set up your computer workstation as effectively as you can figure. Your keyboard is appropriately placed in front of you and your monitor is directly in front of you at eye level. So why will your neck start to hurt? Why will your effectiveness be destroyed by the nagging, aggravating neck pain that seems to show up more and more frequently?
If you are regularly spending a lot of time in front of a computer, you have to realize that your body is going to begin to change and adapt to take on this frequent activity. Your front neck muscles are slowly growing shorter and tighter, while the muscles in the back of your neck are growing longer and weaker.
The back muscles are also growing full of spasm and knots while they are forced to hold up your ten pound head for hours at a time. You would think they would grow stronger from having to hold your head up all the time, but it just never seems to work that way. As they get longer, they are growing weaker, and the job of holding up your head becomes increasingly difficult.
The best options are to do exercises and activities that will counteract the extended computer usage. The rule of thumb is to spend time stretching the front of your neck and strengthening the muscles in the back. This same rule applies to anyone looking to improve posture.
To stretch the front of the neck, turn your head slightly to one side, about forty-five degrees. If you turn your head to the right, you are stretching the left and vice versa. Place your right hand on left side of your chest and pull down gently as you tilt your head back. Stop immediately if you feel sharp pain or any dizziness.
To strengthen the back of the neck, the easiest route would be with a neck exercise machine. Some health clubs have them, but they are more of a specialized device. You can also fold up a towel and place it against a wall. Put the back of your head against the towel and push into it. Hold for a few seconds and release. This is an isometric contraction.
If you are unable to complete some of these movements, or you find that you can't painlessly move your head backwards, it may be time to visit a chiropractor. The chiropractor will perform a spinal adjustment and restore the normal movement of your spine.
Your neck shouldn't hurt just because your sitting in front of your computer. You've got to work and pain can be a nuisance, but it doesn't have to be there with a little effort.
Scientific research demonstrates that chiropractic care may enhance running performance in both recreational runners as well as professional athletes. Dr. Bagley focuses on teaching runners, joggers and walkers how to ward off injury before it occurs. When injury does take place, chiropractic offers all-natural solutions, which allow athletes to avoid surgery and medication.
Along with regular chiropractic visits, the doctor often recommends the following to prevent exercise-related injuries:
Call our office today to schedule a full physical and learn how chiropractic care can keep your body going at peak performance.
Need a chiropractor in St. Louis? Please consider Vital Force Clinic. Call 314-596-4070.
There is a lot of evidence to support the use of flea and tick pesticides directly on our dogs and cats. The question is where the safety information is coming from. Obviously the manufacturers of these agents would tout their products safety but there is growing concern. On the Public Integrity Website, there are numerous reports of animal and human incidents related to pesticide. Unfortunately, these can range from skin irritation to death. Two years ago when my husband and I adopted Zeus, our big black lab, we decided right away not to use the spot treatment pesticides. Although I have concerns for him, my main concern was the contamination to us and the house. Now that we have the twins, we will continue to avoid using these products. What we use instead is a natural product called Cedarcide. This product is made from natural cedar oil and is non-toxic and perfectly safe. I actually also use it on myself when I’m going to be outside to keep the mosquitoes away. If you don’t mind smelling like a cedar tree it’s a great alternative to the toxic chemicals on you and your pet and even DEET which humans use. In the summer I spray Zeus every few days.
Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? Please call our office for your no obligation consultation today!
According to a 2007 Gallup poll, the average commuter spends nearly 200 hours per year driving to and from work. Are you spending hours a week behind the wheel? If so, commuting may be chipping away at your overall well-being. Prolonged sitting coupled with the vibrations produced by the tires hitting the road can wreak havoc on the spine. Driving may also be emotionally stressful and exact a psychological toll. Dr. Bagley at Vital Force Clinic is concerned about the effects of commuting on patients' health and offer suggestions to help.
Keep up with Chiropractic care.
Hit the road rested. A healthy commute starts the night before with adequate sleep.
Sit comfortably. Move the driver's seat as close to the steering wheel as is comfortable, and fine-tune seat position so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips.
Make the most of red lights. Try rolling or shaking out your shoulders at each stop.
Enjoy soothing scents. Research shows that lavender and rosemary scents decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. (Psychiatry Res 2007;150:89-96).
Breathe deeply.
Get a gentle grip of the steering wheel.
Make your car a haven. Remove trash daily.
Fuel your body. Nuts and dried or fresh fruit are travel-friendly options.
Drink smart. Choose herbal tea or water for the drive. Stay hydrated without the jitters.
Take a musical journey. Music is said to soothe the savage beast -- and it can also soothe the stressed-out commuter.
Learn on the road. Try an audiobook or podcast on a topic that will enrich your life.
Rest your eyes. Shift your focal point occasionally. This lessens the risk of eye strain and tension headaches.
Keep a positive attitude. Let that other car merge in front of you.
Buddy up. Carpooling is also good for mental health.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in detecting several health problems. However, a growing trend in many medical clinics is to conduct an MRI scan on patients with back pain, even when serious conditions are not suspected, and before trying conservative, non-surgical management. Dr. Bagley at Vital Force Clinic is concerned about this trend and wants all individuals with back pain to be fully informed about this situation.
Researchers speculate that this problem with the widespread use of MRI for back pain diagnosis is that the scans, which visualize soft tissue like the spinal discs and muscles, frequently identify anomalies that are not necessarily the cause of a person's back trouble. The result? A skyrocketing rate of unnecessary surgeries.
For instance, many cases of disc herniation do not cause pain. A person may indeed have back pain, and have a herniated disc, but the two are often unrelated. In these cases surgery can do far more harm than good.
One study pointed out that "evidence suggests that MRIs may often be ordered unnecessarily. ... More studies are needed to examine the appropriateness with which imaging procedures and non-invasive/minimally invasive treatments are utilized, and their effect on patient outcomes." (Pain Med 2006;7:143-50.)
Unless you are in an emergency situation, schedule an appointment with our office before considering spinal surgery.
Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? Contact Dr. Bagley at 314-596-4070.
If Dan O'Brien Needs Chiropractic maybe you could use it too? Give us a call today!
Does your spine need help? Give this St Louis Chiropractor a call!