Feeling tightness on your shoulders? Whether you were stressing at your desk or doing overhead presses in the gym that caused a tweak, neck pain is one of the most common conditions people experience. Needless to say it is extremely prevalent in Seattle, with the plethora of tech companies and constant pressure on employees to spend longer and longer hours at the office.
Neck pain is also one of the most common reasons for someone to show up in a chiropractic office. It also has a high success rate with chiropractic and Active Release Technique therapy
. Graston Treatment can also be very effective in certain cases.
The vertebrae in your neck and upper back take the brunt of a lot of physical and mental stress. Even if you have good posture, joints can get locked up. If you don’t have perfect posture (probably more than a few of you reading this right now), the joints in your neck experience even more strain than someone with normal neck posture.
Here are a few tips to think about on a daily basis:
Check your posture at your desk: Keep the top of your monitor at eye level or higher so you are not flexing your neck forward as you work. Catch yourself if you are slouching by sitting upright, tucking your chin back slightly, and pulling your shoulders neutral (not hunched forward).
Square yourself up: If you have duel monitors, avoid sitting with your neck rotated to one side for a long period of time. Shift your keyboard so that you are squared-up to whichever monitor you are using.
Focus on stretching, rather than cracking your own neck!: If you are a person who shifts your head side to side in order to “crack” it, you are likely causing more harm than help. When you do this you are moving joints that are likely hypermobile, rather than the ones that aren’t moving enough. Instead, try stretching the muscles around your neck. Leave the neck adjustments to a trained chiropractor so that we can target the hypomobile joints for you.
In my office, I help people every day manage and alleviate their neck pain using multiple procedures.
If you have neck tightness, pain, or restricted movement, schedule a visit with us today. We’ll work to create a plan to help you find long-term relief.
- Next Steps: Call us today at 206-954-7479 and we would be happy to provide a full evaluation and help you take the first steps on the road to recovery. You can also download and message us through the Barlas Chiropractic App! Download it from the App Store here, or from Google Play here.Feel free and email us at drjafferbarlas@gmail.com or contact us through our website here.*Following proper evaluation, patients at Barlas Chiropractic are often treated with light chiropractic adjustments, Active Release Technique soft tissue therapy, Graston Technique soft tissue therapy, and therapeutic exercise to reduce pain, improve mobility, and safely speed recovery.Yours in health,Dr. Jaffer Barlas
(206) 954-7479