Neck dysfunction, degeneration and increased susceptibility of neck injuries are often the results of the accumulative effects from our bad habits. Primarily they revolve around keeping a poor posture for a prolonged period of time. The problem can be compounded by increased muscle tension in the neck. Please have a look at the following video to see some examples of common bad habits and how to avoid them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fKFQVAbvnQ
Below is a short summery of the material covered in my YouTube video:
- Excessive sitting with a forward head carriage? – Take a break to walk or stretch once every 20 min!
- Poor setup when using laptop and handheld devises? – Put the screen up to eye level!
- Too low office chair? – Raise the chair until your elbows are at 90 degrees!
- Improper phone use? – Use hands-free earpiece?
- Sleeping on the stomach – Choose other sleeping posture preferably on the back
- Wrong pillow? – Check your pillow for right size and amount of support for your sleeping posture!
- Sleeping in a sitting position? – Use neck support if you think you may fall asleep while sitting!
- Cold air/air condition blowing on the neck? – Use a scarf to keep the neck warm!
- Sitting looking sideways for long periods of time? – Turn in your seat or turn your actual seat!
- Chronic stress? – Breath out, sit tall and let the shoulders roll back and down!