With so many of us spending much of our day staring at our computers or staring down at our smartphones, it's no wonder that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 20 percent of us have experienced neck pain in the past three months.
The Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center. Advertising on our website helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Andrew Bang, a chiropractor. Andrew Bang says a stiff neck is often the result of muscles weakening over time due to poor posture or misuse.
Looking down at a computer monitor all day can cause the muscles around the neck joints to fatigue and overstretch. Driving or looking at your smartphone for long periods of time can have the same effect. If you do this day in and day out, it builds up and can displace your neck joints.
When your neck muscles weaken and you try to turn your head, the joint no longer moves smoothly because it now doesn't fit, Dr. Bang says. Dr. Bang says. Usually the joint catches on something, either pulling on a muscle or hitting a nerve irregularly, or both. Then you get immediate pain, and your body goes into protective spasm. Your body doesn't want you to get hurt any more than you already are, so it will tighten up, making you feel like you can't even move and making you wonder what you did to hurt yourself.?Stretching prevents pain, and placing your monitor at eye level, sitting up straight and avoiding tilting and cocking your head while using a computer can help you avoid neck pain. Be sure to take frequent breaks when you're driving or looking at your smartphone to avoid letting your neck bend forward for long periods of time, Dr. Bang says.The key to relieving a stiff neck is proper stretching and massage, Dr. Bang says. You can try the following stretches at your desk or in your car to help you avoid a stiff neck:Roll your shoulders back and down 10 times and squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times. Push your head back into the headrest of your car or into your hands and hold for 30 seconds, resting your ears on your shoulders 10 times on each side.
If your neck bothers you, Dr. Bong says, you should also pay attention to your sleep position. Sleep only on your side or back, and never on your stomach, he says.
When you sleep on your back, you're usually twisting your head one way or the other for hours at a time,?Dr. Bang says. ? Sleeping on your back can also affect your lower back, because if you don't have enough support, your abdomen will sink into the bed.?