Bad Computer Posture Leads to Back Pain
Long hours of staring into a computer screen (or even phone screen) can cause stiff neck or back pain. It’s a subconscious thing we do to get a closer look at our screens, and because we don’t know we’re doing it we don’t realize how bad our computer posture is or what it’s doing to our spines. (I keep correcting my posture as a type this)
This head-forward computer posture compresses our neck leading to poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. And did you know symptoms can start in under a minute?
When you sit up tall the muscles of your back can easily support your head and neck. But moving your head forwards even just a little adds tension from the added weight of your head and neck on the back.
What can you do to prevent hunching forward at the computer?
There are two simple fixes for fixing your posture at your computer, increase the font size on your computer screen or get a pair of computer reading glasses (I recommend also looking into anti-blue light glasses, to help with headaches from working at the computer). Your computer screen should be at eye level, which will reduce the temptation to lean forward.
If you notice you suffer from headaches, or neck and back pain after computer work, try checking your posture and see if you’re sitting up with your head on top of your neck and shoulders.
Until writing this, I didn’t realize how often I leaned forward to see my screens, and what that meant for my back and neck. Now it’s made me a bit more conscious to check my posture while I’m working at the computer to avoid pain in my neck and back.