According to doctors at the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, close to 67% of the global population is going to inevitably have to contend with neck and back pain issues – some of them considerably more debilitating than the others.
This means that close to seven out of every 10 people you know (including yourself) will eventually have to fight through considerable neck and back pain, which is exactly why you’re going to want to understand exactly how to fight this issue at the source so that it doesn’t rob you of your day to day lifestyle or the activities that you’ve come to enjoy.
Here are a couple of pretty common habits that are contributing to neck and back pain and what you can do to curb their impact.
Are you sitting funny?
Information published by the American Journal of Medicine reports that close to 45% of all working Americans are dealing with significant neck and back pain on a daily basis, and a lot of it is because they aren’t sitting with the right kind of posture.
By sitting incorrectly you’re going to slouch and lean, and that’s going to create a C shaped spine as opposed to a S shaped spine – putting a lot of undue pressure on the neck and lumbar area of your back.
If you aren’t able to swap out an ergonomic chair you’ll want to at least consider getting up every 30 or 40 minutes and stretching for five minutes or so. This will improve blood flow, boost circulation, and give your spine a chance to “reset”.
Put your phone away
Texting all the time isn’t going to hurt your thumbs, but every time you look down in your device you’re going to be straining your neck muscles which aren’t exactly all that strong to begin with.
The average human head weighs about 12 pounds, and it rolling around all the time is going to really tax this relatively compact muscle group. By cutting back significantly on the amount of time you spend looking down at your phone you’re going to be able to lessen the stress on your neck and back, but by also stretching around now and again – every hour or so – you’ll be able to strengthen your neck and back as well.
Don’t sleep on your side or stomach
At the end of the day most people look forward to slipping into a nice and comfortable bed and drifting off to sleep, but many sleep habits are causing a considerable amount of pain. Instead of sleeping on your side or your stomach and forcing your neck into strange positions you’ll want to sleep on your back so that your cervical spine is always in alignment.
