How To Prevent Neck Pain

by Pablo Jareno

Today, I’d like to continue on from my last blog, Stop Being A Pain In Neck. If you haven’t already, please go back and give it a read. In it, I share some of the common causes of neck pain.

Now that we’ve established the causes, it’s time to move on to some ways that I recommend to reduce and prevent neck pain.

So, what are some of the ways we can best manage or even better, prevent these upper back and neck issues happening over time?

Optimise your posture: aim to keep the spine as neutral as possible when standing and sitting, or overextending the body excessively for too long a period of time.

Take mini breaks: if you’re at a desk job or travelling, aim to take mini breaks where you can get up from your seat and move the body out of its leaned forward posture.
Optimise your bed: find the correct pillow height and mattress firmness, as it’s one of the places in our lives we spend a good amount of time in each day.

Put a reminder on your phone: most smart phones now will tell you how long you’ve been on the screen for. Programme the settings to remind you to take a break every 5-10mins.
Double strap it: if carrying a bag over your shoulder, make sure you put both straps on or if you’re carrying luggage or a suitcase/briefcase, make sure to frequently change sides to avoid waking up with a tight upper trapezius maid left the neck day.
Chill when times get tough: take time to look after your mental health by maybe doing some meditation (5 minutes a day in morning can be great), journaling or even just focusing on your breathing.
Stretch it out: some simple mobility & stretches can do wonders and are good to open up those tight shoulders and stiff neck from hours of a rounded posture.

Summary

The upper back and neck are such a sensitive area of the body, at least one point in our lives we will deal with some sort of neck pain/strain.

From my experience over the years of coaching and training, prevention is much better than the cure, so make sure you put the time aside to look after your body before it screams at you for not giving it the attention it needed.