Headaches are one of the most common things seen and treated by physiotherapists. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around 47% of the adult population suffer from a headache at least once during a year. Specifically, Tension-type Headaches. Physios assist with these headaches due to their cause being related to muscular tension or a musculoskeletal problem in the neck. These headaches can be suffered by up to 70% of the population due to the high prevalence of office workers and sedentary related jobs.
Many people are surprised when told that we can often get a lot of relief for headaches through physiotherapy. Although there are definitely other causes for headaches, a very high percentage are related to the neck, simply because of how we sit and what we do with our bodies during the day.
As I see so many of these cases, I find myself telling everyone the same few tips to help improve their neck pain, however if everyone started doing these it would help to PREVENT neck pain in the first place.
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Ergonomic desk environment
Anyone who works in an office will have heard someone in management talking to you about good ergonomic seating and posture, but what does it really mean? It means that for you to be comfortably seated at your desk and to minimise risk of overuse type injuries, such as headaches, then you need to have your desk specifically set up for you.
The picture in figure 1 shows a correct ergonomic posture. It includes having your eyes at the centre of the computer screen and the distances of your screen and mouse at specific distances from you. You also must ensure that your feet are comfortably on the ground and that your bottom is in the back of the seat. It may seem uncomfortable compared to what you are used to, but once you get the hang of it you will find less tension related headaches.
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Lumbar support
Lumbar support can make a world of difference to both headache and neck pain, but also to on going back pain. A lot of people think that their chair already has lumbar support, why would extra support help me? However, most chairs, be it office chairs, car seats or chairs around the house, do not provide the amount of support needed to keep your spine in the correct position. Anyone who I have recommended a lumbar support to has always raved about how comfortable they feel, and how easy it becomes to sit up straight at their desk!
If you are interested in trying one of these lumbar supports give us a call for more information or come in and try one for yourself!
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Correct pillows
Often, if you wake with neck pain and stiffness, then your pillow could be to blame. The rule of thumb is that your head should be in a position of rest for the spine. That is if you lye on your back, your neck should be cradled and your head should neither be tilted downward or upward. This is the same if you were to lie on your side.
You don’t need fancy pillows to achieve this, all you need is someone to check where your head position is, and then to add/remove a thinner or thicker pillow as necessary. Ergonomic pillows are also available to provide correct neck support.
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Heat
Now this tip won’t prevent neck pain, but I find that if you rest with a wheat-bag draped across your shoulders/neck for 20 minutes at a time, there is often relief of pain and also decreased muscle spasm and freer movement.
While this is all useful advice there is one last, very easy strategy that you can adopt in order to reduce neck pain, back pain, stiffness, tension and headaches. And this is simply to move enough throughout the day! Physiotherapists will often suggest a selection of “pause exercises” to be done throughout the workday. These are exercises and stretches that are designed to release tension in specific muscle groups. Standing up, taking a walk and doing one of these exercises will ensure that you take a break from the static, sustained postures that can contribute to tension and pain. Watch this space for suggestions of great pause exercises to break up your work day.
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