My job’s a pain in the neck, literally.

“Why do I feel pain in my neck and upper back after sitting at my desk all day?”

Many people in the work force have jobs that require hours of desk/computer work, and the majority of these people are completely unaware of their posture. If you are one of these people who sit in front of a computer all day and have poor sitting posture, you should definitely consider making some changes to avoid feeling neck and/or upper back pain at the end of the day. Although poor posture may not be the original cause of pain, it certainly can either exacerbate the pain or at the very least prolong healing. This is because it places stress on the cervical facet joints and strain on the neck and upper back muscles. Whether you have degenerative disc disease, arthritis in the cervical facet joints, or a herniated disc, you will most likely be able to alleviate some of your symptoms by simply changing your sitting posture at your desk. Before attempting this you will have to make sure your desk set up is ergonomically correct, because you won’t be able to make the right postural adjustments if your chair, table, and computer are not positioned properly. A licensed physical therapist would be able to educate you on how to ergonomically optimize your work desk set up and how to correct your sitting posture as well as provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercise to reduce your pain. So don’t think you have to live with neck pain. Go see your doctor now to get a referral for physical therapy.