It's such a common position that we almost don't notice it anymore:someone sitting in front of a computer and leaning their head forward to get a better look at the screen. But this seemingly harmless position compresses the neck and over time can lead to fatigue, headaches, poor concentration, increased muscle tone and even spinal injury. It can even limit your ability to turn your head.
Researchers tested the effects of head and neck position in a recent study. First, they asked 87 students to sit up straight with their heads properly aligned with their necks, and then they were asked to turn their heads. Next, the students were asked to “scrunch” their necks and turn their heads forward. Ninety-two percent said they could turn their heads much further if they didn't scrunch. In the second test, 125 students scrunched their necks for 30 seconds. Afterwards, 98 percent reported some level of pain in their head, neck, or eyes.
The researchers also followed 12 students with electromyography equipment and found that trapezius muscle tone increased in the flexed, forward position.
So if you have a headache or neck and back pain from computer work, check your posture and make sure your head is resting on your neck, as if you were being held by an invisible wire from the ceiling. "You can do something about this attitude very quickly," the researcher said. To increase body awareness, it is advised to purposefully replicate the head-forward/neck scrunched position. “You can exaggerate the position and experience the symptoms. If you find yourself doing it, you can become aware and stop.”
Other solutions include increasing the font size on your computer screen, wearing reading glasses on top of the computer, or placing your computer on a stand at eye level, all to make the screen easier to read.
Credit:San Francisco State University
