The neck muscles, though relatively small, are among the most used and engaged muscle groups in the human body. With the kind of lifestyle prevalent now — sedentary living, coupled with long hours working on the computer screen, or hooked to the mobile, leads to postural issues, neck muscle fatigue and injuries. Neck stiffness is one of the most common issues faced by people. The intense pain it triggers affects daily life while ignoring the root causes of the pain can lead to other serious issues.
“If the stiffening of the neck muscles is ignored for long, it can escalate to structural neck problems like arthritis, nerve compression, severe disc-related problems, and scoliosis among others,” says Bishwaranjan Das, musculoskeletal and sports injury specialist, Manipal Health Enterprises, Mangaluru.
Causes of neck stiffening
The causes for the stiffening are multiple, ranging from poor work ergonomics to improper posture.
“The first main cause of neck stiffness or what we call muscle spasm is lifestyle,” adds Das. “Nowadays, individuals don’t take proper care of their posture and are busy with their livelihood, particularly in professions like IT where one must sit in front of a computer screen for long hours or prolong usage of mobile phones. The second one is bad ergonomics. These two are major causes for neck stiffness.”
Using an improper pillow subjects the neck to bad posture which results in stiffness of the muscles. Their small size makes them prone to fatigue and stiffness since they are loaded through the day.
“The muscle group is much more active as compared to the bigger muscle groups. And as the size is small, even if the strain is not too severe, it leads to problems in the long run.”
How to avoid neck stiffness?
Some basic alterations into our daily lives and routines can help quite a bit in avoiding neck stiffness.
“The first and foremost solution is lifestyle modification, and the second one is ergonomic correction.,” says Das. “If someone must sit in front of the computer screen, then they should sit on a height-adjustable ergonomic chair and set the screen according to the body’s requirement, so that the top of the screen is at eye level. The back needs to be supported by a pillow or a back support.”
Sometimes shoulder problems which occur due to not having proper elbow support in the chairs can also lead to muscle spasms and strain in the neck.
“One of the most important aspects for avoiding neck stiffness is incorporating neck stretches into our daily routine,” adds Das. “If one must work for long hours, then every half an hour to one-hour, simple neck stretches can reduce such problems by almost 90% along with maintaining a good fitness level.”
Stretches to avoid neck stiffness
While stretching the neck muscles, it is important to do maintain form to avoid injuries. Here are some simple neck stretching exercises:
- Neck rotation: Hold the head in a neutral position, looking straight while keeping the neck and shoulder muscles relaxed. Slowly rotate the head towards the right, feeling a stretch in the neck muscles. Hold it for some time and bring the head back to the neutral position. Now rotate the head towards the left. Repeat.
- Neck lateral flexion: Hold the head in a neutral position with neck and shoulder muscles relaxed. Slowly tilt the head sideways first towards the right and then towards the left, feeling a gentle stretch. If needed, then an additional resistance can be made with the help of the opposite hand.
- Chin tuck: Can be done either standing or seated. Keeping the head aligned with the spine, neither bent nor extended forward or backwards. Tuck the chin without moving the neck forward from the spinal axis.
- Neck circles: Start with holding the head in a neutral position and then rotate it in a 360-degree movement — first clockwise followed by anti-clockwise (opposite) direction.
Ensure that the movement is smooth during the entire exercise.
