Ending Desk Pain: Finding What Your Working Day Is Doing to You

Neck, shoulder and back pain at a desk is a position and load problem rather than a posture failing. Muscles held in one position for hours fatigue, blood flow drops and the tissues become sensitised. The upper trapezius, levator scapulae and deep neck flexors are usually involved, along with the hip flexors and gluteals from prolonged sitting. The most effective change is not a perfect chair. It is movement frequency. Breaking up sitting regularly through the day does more for symptoms than any single ergonomic adjustment, and building strength in the neck and upper back is what makes long days tolerable. At Peak Movement in Cape Town, an expert team of physiotherapists and biokineticists will identify which muscles are held in tension all day, which have weakened from disuse, and what in your setup and workload keeps producing the pattern. Is bad posture causing my pain? A position held too long matters far more than the position itself. Will a standing desk fix it? It helps by varying position, but standing all day creates its own problems. Alternating is better than either extreme. How often should I move? Frequently and briefly beats one long break. Book your first session at 94 Strand Street, Cape Town, or call 067 369 0593. See a practitioner if your pain is severe, spreading into the arms or legs, or joined by numbness or weakness.