If you’ve worked a job that requires long hours of sitting in front of a computer screen, then you’ve most likely already felt that nagging neck and back pain, or even the dreaded carpel tunnel and shoulder pain flaring up every time you work. While the best thing to do is not work at a job like that where you have to sit for that long, as sitting for long periods of time can increase your risk of other chronic health problems, you can’t exactly control that. Therefore, the best thing you can do to prevent your current pain levels from getting worse is to make sure you have the proper sitting posture while you’re working in front of your computer.
The first thing you need to make sure is that your computer screen is eye-level, so you’re looking straight ahead at the screen and not bending your neck down to look at the screen. Looking down is one of the worst positions you can keep your neck in because it can cause some serious issues in your cervical spine. As the neck bends forward and down, the weight placed on the cervical spine increases. If your neck bends at 15 degrees, the weight is 27 pounds. At 30 degrees, it’s 40 pounds, and at 45 degrees, it’s 49 pounds. You can even be putting as much as 60 pounds of weight on your neck if the angle of your neck is at 60 degrees! When you spend extended periods of time with your neck looking down, this weight that’s placed on the cervical spine eventually causes wear and tear on the spine, leading to spinal degeneration, misalignment, and disc bulges. All of which you do not want to experience!
What’s worse is that looking down not only causes neck pain. It will eventually cause back and shoulder pain as well. This is because your back muscles are constantly contracted and working to pull and support the overbearing weight of your neck when it’s at an angle. This leads to muscle strain on the back of the neck, and the muscles on the front of your neck and chest to become stiff. It’s a never ending domino effect!
To help prevent and alleviate all of the issues that may come from working for long periods of time in front of a computer, you should get a laptop stand that you can place your computer onto and adjust the height until it’s level to your eyes. We recommend this one-piece aluminum laptop stand that is universally compatible with laptops and tablets of different sizes. It is sturdy, height adjustable, and has heat ventilators to make sure your laptop doesn’t overheat! Best of all, it has a special sale price of just $15.00!
Neck posture aside, here is a picture that shows you the other things you want to look out for to get your body into proper alignment while sitting at your desk.
