Most posture advice fails because it asks you to hold a position. The useful version changes the setup so that the good position is the easy one.
Screen at eye level
The top of the screen at or just below eye level. Looking down at a laptop for hours is the commonest single cause of desk-related neck pain.
Use a separate keyboard
If you work on a laptop, raise the laptop and add an external keyboard. You cannot fix a laptop’s ergonomics without separating screen from keys.
Elbows supported
Unsupported arms hang from the neck and shoulder muscles all day. Armrests at the right height take a surprising load off.
Move rather than sit correctly
The best posture is the next one. Change position every twenty minutes; that does more than any single ideal arrangement.
Phone between ear and shoulder
Stop. Use a headset. This one habit produces a remarkable amount of one-sided neck pain.
These are general suggestions, not a prescription. If any movement sharply increases pain, causes numbness, or sends pain down a limb, stop and get assessed. Advice that suits a disc problem can be exactly wrong for spinal stenosis, which is why a diagnosis comes first.
If pain is not settling, or you are not sure which of these applies to you, get a diagnosis first. Call (314) 310-5577 or request an appointment.
Common questions
Will a standing desk fix it?
It helps some people and creates different problems for others. The benefit comes from alternating, not from standing all day.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
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