Is Working From Home A Pain In Your Neck?
Dr. Nichelle C. Renk is a board-certified and fellowship-trained anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist practicing in Anchorage, AK at the Algone Interventional Pain Clinic. Dr. Renk performs a thorough evaluation of a patient's symptoms, imaging, and physical exam to create an individualized plan for the patient.... more
Many people are discovering the benefits of working from home. You can cut your commute, saving time and money. Working from home can also give you needed scheduling flexibility, or make it easier to support family members or pets.
Working from home provides many people with needed physical or mental health benefits as well.
However, working from home may not always be the best for your health. At Alpenglow Pain & Wellness of Anchorage, Alaska, board-certified interventional pain management specialist Dr. Nichelle Renk sees many patients who have started experiencing more neck pain or back pain since shifting to working from home.
If working from home is as much a pain in your neck as an improvement, get in touch with Dr. Renk, Dr. Mary Beth Calor, and the Alpenglow Pain & Wellness team to learn how to resolve your neck pain and back pain with the right treatment approach.
How working from home can cause neck pain
Your neck supports the weight of your head, and it needs to be able to bend and twist so you have your full range of motion and flexibility. That puts a lot of pressure on the bones, tendons, and nerves of your neck and upper spine.
Consequently, because so many nerves run through your upper spine, neck problems can become severely or naggingly painful.
When you sit or stand for long periods at work, you need to maintain correct spinal alignment so you avoid putting too much pressure on your upper spine and creating neck problems. This is commonly referred to as “tech neck.”
Professional equipment is likely to be ergonomically designed to support your posture. Is your work-from-home setup similarly effective?
Many people who have shifted to working at home set up their work area on the fly, without regard to maintaining proper upper spine alignment.
If you’re sitting on the couch, working from an armchair, or using a less-than-ideally-positioned computer screen or keyboard, repetitive stress on your upper spine could easily result in neck pain problems.
Addressing your neck pain
If you have persistent neck pain or headaches that lower your quality of life and reduce your ability to function, contact Dr. Renk for the support you need to better understand and address your neck and spinal problems.
Dr. Renk starts your treatment with a comprehensive evaluation, including a review of your symptoms, a physical examination, and diagnostic testing like X-rays.
When Dr. Renk understands more about the internal and external factors causing your neck pain and headaches, she can recommend the right treatments and lifestyle changes to resolve your pain problem for the long term.
You might need to change your work-from-home setup, stretch your upper body more frequently, or use physical therapy exercises to support your neck, shoulders, and spine.
Dr. Renk may also suggest treatment options like physical therapy, acupuncture, pain psychology, regenerative medicine, and radiofrequency ablation treatment for chronic or persistent neck pain and headaches. Alpenglow now has two massage therapists in-network with most insurances as well.
For the help you need to resolve your neck pain problem, contact Dr. Renk and the team at Alpenglow Pain & Wellness today. Schedule your initial consultation online or call now to book.
