Neck Pain Caused By Computer and Desk Work " John a 47-year-old male IT consultant "

Case study ( 14836 views as of March 19, 2024 )

On exam, he has a head-forward sitting posture. There is limitation in his range of motion in all directions, with tenderness of his facets and neck muscles. He has no radiating pain, and his Spurling’s test is negative. His upper extremity neurovascular exam is normal.

This patient could benefit from a consultation with a physiotherapist to work on posture, and to reduce muscle and joint tension in his neck. He could also benefit from an ergonomic assessment at work, and possibly for his vehicle, to reduce environmental factors that could worsen neck pain. He could also consider chiropractic adjustment if his facet joint pain doesn’t improve. Massage therapy may also help loosen tight muscles.

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Conversation based on: Neck Pain Caused By Computer and Desk Work " John a 47-year-old male IT consultant "

Neck Pain Caused By Computer and Desk Work " John a 47-year-old male IT consultant "

  • Long head: The long head of the triceps originates just below the socket of the scapula, specifically from the infraglenoid tubercle, which is a bony prominence on the scapula. Lateral head: The lateral head of the triceps originates from the posterior surface of the humerus, the bone of the upper arm. It arises from a ridge called the posterior humeral shaft. Medial head: The medial head of the triceps also originates from the posterior surface of the humerus. It arises from an area located below the groove for the radial nerve, known as the medial and inferior part of the posterior humeral shaft. These three heads of the triceps muscle merge together to form a common tendon, which inserts on the olecranon process of the ulna, the bony prominence at the back of the elbow. The triceps muscle functions to extend the forearm at the elbow joint, allowing movements such as straightening the arm and pushing objects away. It also assists in stabilizing the shoulder joint.
  • Back pain is a common complaint among people of all ages. It’s one of the main reasons people seek medical help and miss work. Back pain symptoms can be mild or severe, and cervical (neck pain), thoracic (middle back pain), lumbar (lower back pain) or tailbone/sacral (coccydynia). Lumbar back pain is the most common type. Causes of Back Pain Back pain can come from muscles, bones, joints or nerves. It can also be caused by medical problems involving the gallbladder, aorta, kidneys or pancreas. Back pain causes include: • Injury or activity  • Arthritis. Arthritic conditions, also called rheumatic conditions, are a variety of diseases that cause chronic, intermittent pain and swelling of the joints and connective tissue. Common types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis.  • Back strain  • Sciatica (a bulging or ruptured disc that presses on the sciatic nerve)  • Poor posture  • Aging  • Scoliosis (an "S"- or "C"-shaped curve of the spine). The word scoliosis comes from the Greek word scolios, meaning curved or crooked. There are several types of scoliosis, and it occurs most often in children between 9 and 15 years of age. Symptoms & Treatment of Back Pain If you experience back pain, your symptoms might include:  • Shooting or stabbing pain  • Pain that radiates down the leg  • Muscle aches  • Pain that worsens when you walk, lift something, bend or stand  • Pain that improves when you recline  In most cases, back pain will resolve on its own with treatment at home and over-the-counter medications. Surgery is not usually recommended. Some patients benefit from spinal traction, a physiotherapy technique that applies a longitudinal stretch to the reachable joints and soft tissues that is commonly used on the cervical, lumbar spine and thoracic spine. Spinal traction may be applied manually by the physiotherapist or with a decompression machine. Other non-surgical back pain treatments include massage therapy, yoga and Pilates. If your back pain persists after treatment or worsens, see your doctor to explore alternate therapies.  Talk to your family physician if you'd like more information on back pain.
  • Contact your local physiotherapist who can provide sound advise and appropriate treatment strategies.
  • Recent studies indicate that the most important factor in avoiding back injury may be your general physical conditioning. This suggests that regular aerobic exercise, such as walking or swimming, may provide the conditioning a back needs to stay healthy. However, a specific exercise program to mobilize and strengthen the spine can also be effective in preventing a recurrence of back pain. Strong back and stomach muscles are necessary to support your spine properly, and a physiotherapist can provide guidance on the appropriate exercises to tone and strengthen these muscles. Physiotherapists recommend the following tips to help you prevent back pain:
  • For many people, back pain can be caused by poor posture and bad habits. The accumulated wear and tear our bodies experience on a day-to-day basis puts us at risk of experiencing back pain, regardless of occupation. This increases with age as the spine begins to lose its flexibility. Routine activities like gardening, housework, picking up a child, reaching for an object or even coughing, can trigger an episode of acute back pain: pain that can last for hours, days or even years
    • Recovery time after a discectomy or laminectomy is usually very quick.  A patient can be up within 2-3 hours and can often go home the same day.
  • The bones or vertebrae that make up the spinal column are separated by discs, which act as shock absorbers that support and distribute the weight of your body. The spinal cord is housed and protected within the spinal column and major nerves, connecting the spinal cord with other parts of the body, pass through spaces between the vertebrae. The spinal column is wrapped tightly in ligaments and supported by muscle.
  • Considering a desk that you can both sit and stand at are worth considering if you have neck and back issues. These desks have a built in mechanism that allows you to raise them, along with your computer etc.
    • Spinal surgery is reserved only for herniated discs, spinal stenosis or spinal deformities.
  • Contact your local physiotherapist who can provide sound advise and appropriate treatment strategies.
  • It is also the amount of time your are sitting in one position that can cause neck pain, rather than the position of the neck. Be sure to move around continuously through your day.
  • Taking time each day to stretch your neck and back muscles is a good way to prevent neck pain from work station tension. In addition to this, take a break every hour to walk around and do some of these stretches. An exercise band can easily attack to a door if you have an office. This way you can get up, stretch and even do some strength work.
    • You might also experience an aura, this is in a smaller percentage of migraine sufferers, where they have a warning sign immediately preceding a migraine. These warning signs can take on the form of abnormalitites in hearing, vision, as well as sense of smell and some other sensory abnormalities
    • A migraine is usually preceded by a prodrome, or a warning sign that you're going to get a headache. These prodromes or warning signs can consist of altered mood, craving for certain food, as well as many other abnormalities that you might experience.
    • That's a good point @Jackson. It is so important to work at maintaining your flexibility, especially as we spend more and more time sitting at a computer. Neck stiffness which ultimately results in pain over time is so prevalent, and oftentimes the office set-up is not ergonomically designed for every height out there.
  • We recently moved to a new office building that is designed to increase the amount of natural light. I find the unfortunate downside of this new space is that it's difficult to have your monitor in the right position to avoid neck pain while minimizing the reflection of the sun
    • The problem we are encountering is that what is right for me causes a co worker to do without the natural light. They are currently working for viable solutions for all.
    • @K.Michael, I would definitely speak to your supervisor at work about this. While the new space may offer better lighting and cause less eye strain for you and your colleagues, your computer screen still needs to be in the right position to avoid causing any neck or posture issues. There must be some accommodations that can be made to shade the windows enough to reduce the glare on your screen.
  • Posture is everything in regards to neck pain at work.
    • I agree Jackson, and there are multiple products out there to improve the ergonomic set-up of a workstation. As an IT consultant, this man is likely spending the majority of his hours in front of a computer screen. He could consider speaking with his benefits provider about the possibility of having an ergonomic assessment covered by his plan, and perhaps his employer investing in the recommendations given so that his neck pain can be alleviated.
  • I find that regular visits to my chiropractor help to alleviate my neck pain - especially when I'm at my busiest at work!
    • A physiotherapist can absolutely provide stretches that help relieve neck pain, and kinesiologists are also qualified to deliver this kind of advice and treatment. If you have neck pain, and limited coverage with your benefits plan, you can check to see if both physiotherapists and kinesiologists are eligible paramedical expenses that you can claim.
    • I have found that going to a physiotherapist to get specific stretches and exercises targeted at the neck and mid back area is also immensely helpful.
    • yes chiropractic care helps me too.
  • The case study mentions that he is taking up to 4 ibuprofen a day to deal with his neck pain. He might want to switch to a longer lasting medication to avoid stomach issues
    • He could take Aleve. I find that arthritis strength Tylenol helps with my neck pain and lasts longer so I take less pills.
    • What longer lasting medication could be recommended for neck pain ?
  • The case study mentions that there is no radiating pain. Would radiating pain be an indication of a more serious issue ?
    • It can show where on the body the injury is sometimes.
  • Excellent point. Core strength is vital to so many different areas of our life.
    • The key to neck pain is getting the chest muscle as working as well as the back muscles. Often the lats are under looked in strength training and the chest muscles are over worked. The real key is to get the back puling down and the chest pulling up.
    • What is the best type of exercise to improve core strength and reduce neck pain?
  • Great comments by everyone. One factor not yet mentioned is the role of postural strengthening. Ergonomics certainly are a big factor in reducing the load on the cervical spine and soft tissues, but having enough postural strength to maintain good mechanics is vital. This is why people poor mechanics, but who exercise regularly can often be more functional and pain free, whilst people with good posture, but poor strength and poor postural endurance can be symptomatic. Don't forget to exercise regularly- it has and always been the best medical plan out there! A physiotherapist can assist you with ergonomic, stretching and postural strengthening strategies that will work for your body and the demands you place on it.
    • I had the ergonomic assessment done when I worked on a computer all day. It made such a huge difference.
    • Most companies will arrange for an ergonomic assessment of your work space. It's a lot cheaper than having an employee out on extended sick leave
    • This is a very good point. I know a lot of office workers who find themselves hunching at their desks. It's become a habit and is very difficult to break. It requires consciously sitting back properly and not slumping forward out of habit
  • I had huge neck pain and limited motion. I couldn't hardly check my blind spot while driving. I went to a chiropractor who really helped. She suggested that it was my poor posture at work. I was often on the computer and phone at the same time, cradling the phone in my neck. Getting a headset and seeing the chiropractor regularly fixed my issue.
    • They also suggest that you either raise your monitor or put it on a stand so that you aren't looking down at your screen
  • Neck and Upper Back/Shoulder Pain can be resolved by having regular Cupping therapy. Cupping therapy will detox the muscles to allow fresh new blood into the area. A muscle it like a net and blood is suppose to float through the net but when there is poor posture or tension, the blood can easily get stagnated and cause pain in the area. Cupping Therapy goes into the deep muscle layers to unblock the fibers and let fresh blood flow again releasing the pain.
    • I know very little about cupping therapy and would be interested din knowing more as well.
    • Cupping therapy sounds very interesting, I would like to learn more about it.
  • If someone has poor posture and is experiencing neck/back pain what is the best way to resolve this and avoid it in the future ? Can your weight or lack of movement be a cause ?
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