Neck pain is becoming all too common and is even on the increase, with the hidden stress we place on our necks using phones, tablets, laptops and watching TV in awkward positions.

Causes of neck pain

There are many potential causes of pain in the neck. I will aim to discuss some of the more common causes, some of which are silent or hidden causes – they do not give pain at the time, but build up over many hours, repeated day after day until they begin to cause pain.

“Text neck” or text neck overuse syndrome

With the advent of smart phones this is such a big problem that it has driven me to write a full article about text neck, which delves into the various health risks. In short: we need to limit the time we spend looking down at our phones!

Sleeping prone on your stomach

It’s almost impossible to sleep on your stomach without straining your neck. You will need to breathe, therefore you will turn your head to one side or the other, often in an extreme or strenuous position. You may not feel the tightness, but the accumulation of many hours, days and years can lead to neck pain. Sleeping on your sides or back with the correct pillow shape and size to keep the neck in a ‘neutral’ position is very important.

Patients often say “but it’s a habit and I’m just used to sleeping this way”. I understand it is a difficult habit to break, but it is one that can be broken over time. Breaking the habit is necessary to help the neck pain settle and prevent recurrence.

Lying on the sofa or bed watching TV

I’ve always found this very uncomfortable, even though I don’t have neck pain, so I don’t do this for anything other than short periods of time before changing my position. It’s a huge hidden cause of neck pain – especially when you fall asleep in this position, which can actually give a whiplash-like jolt to the neck!

Sitting on the sofa working on the laptop

This is a big killer for the neck. The way that we sit while we work is very important, especially considering the number of hours that this entails. Please find all the information on how to sit while using a laptop and other information on correctly setting up the home workstation.

Cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear

I’m staggered at often I go into a hotel reception lobby or even my doctors surgery to see the receptionists taking multiple calls on the phone, without using a headset. They are still expected to write or type and use the computer at the same time. It’s madness. I call it postural or neck hari-kari as it’s very likely to give you pain and I can only ask you now, please stop!

Ask your boss for a cordless (NOT corded) headset so you can move about, be active and have two hands free to type and work. Phone cradling raises work health and safety issues, but there are now options to cater for all manner of working environments. If all else fails and you can’t do this, then you need to find a job which requires minimal phone use.

Extended periods looking down

Constantly looking down – such as while typing, reading, or look at a mobile device – mean the neck is in hyperflexion for too long and will quickly lead to neck pain. Keep the neck in a neutral position as often as possible, and don’t be a victim of “text neck”!