My Neck Pain
When I was in massage school, I had a lot of trouble with my neck. The back of my neck ached almost all the time. The cause of the pain was from bending over my books while reading and studying.
One thing that really helped was using a book stand. Here is the one I bought.
The book stand allowed me to not have to bend my head forward so much to read. It was adjustable, so I could set it up to be the most comfortable for me on any given day. I used it for my laptop, to read, and even when using my cell phone.
The Culprit
From time to time since then, I still have neck pain. And I can almost always trace it back to using my cell phone.
You see, when you bend your head down, you are stretching the muscles in the back of your neck, making them longer, like a stretched rubber band.
You might notice pain when you massage the occipital area of your skull (the part of the back of your skull that sticks out furthest, forming a ridge). The reason for the pain is that stretching those muscles pulls on the attachments to the occipital. When you push on that area and it hurts, you are probably feeling where the muscles attach to that bone.
Experiment
If you have pain in the back of your neck, try to be aware of how much you are looking down and see if you can do something to avoid looking down so much.
- Raise your phone higher.
- Use a book stand to prop your phone on.
- Raise your laptop higher by putting it on a stand or even books or a pillow.
- Raise the books you are reading so you aren’t bending your neck so much.
Another thing that helped me was this neck positioner thing. You rest your head in it for 15 minutes and it re-aligns your neck. My husband and I both use it when our necks are hurting and it seems to help. Here is the link.
Conclusion
Neck pain is NO FUN. So I hope these ideas can provide you some relief. Of course, massage also helps. Click here if you’d like to book a massage with me in my office in Plano, Texas.