Back Pain Community

Hello.

I am not a doctor, but have over 30 years experience managing severe chronic spinal pain - all areas including my neck are affected. My career was also in information technology working with computers.

I was told years ago by a pain management specialist to make sure my monitor is at a level that is comfortable for me. That could be raising the monitor (or whole laptop) with books until your neck is at a comfortable angle, or getting it low enough for you. I have a laptop PC that I use while sitting in my recliner and it is very comfortable for me.

It is possible that your computer use did not cause your neck problems, but it could be aggravating your pain. Try these changes and see if they help. You can search the internet using phrases like 'best position of PC monitor for neck pain' or even look into the ergonomics of computer use.

I hope you find a solution that will relief you pain.

Hello,
Ergonomics stress a neutral position while working on the computer. About five years ago, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia & it all began with severe neck pain, which can be directly attributed to long hours on the computer at a very un-ergonomic workstation.

If you are unsure of how your work station should be set up, there is much information online on this subject.

After my diagnosis I received physical therapy where I was told to get up from my work desk about every 20 minutes & move around. My PT also showed me some neck exercises to perform. Although I am no longer working, I continue to perform these exercises.

Like many with Fibro, I suffer from osteoarthritis as well & this, too, was aggravated by the poor posture & poor ergonomics at the work station.

I am not a doctor however, I disagree with yours as I've heard of many who suffer from long hours at the computer. If you must be in this position, be sure that it's a neutral one &, again, get up periodically & move around. My PT even suggested setting a timer to ensure that I do this.

The degenerative conditions you suffer from may be genetic however, symptoms as you describe can very well be exacerbated by poor posture as a consequence of poor ergonomics.

Please research proper ergonomics along with various exercises to perform while spending long hours at the computer.

Best wishes,
georgia

Hi,

I had to manage a similar level of pain for a number of years and exhausted a number of avenues trying to work out the cause. This problem started in earnest for me when I was studying at college, spending long hours in labs and the library on stiff chairs, sleeping on cheap mattresses back at in dorms and wearing poor footwear. All these slow burning factors were the biggest contributor to my pain as they were a constant assault on my body. I'd recommend slight modifications to your lifestyle and you'll notice a fair improvement. There's no magic cure buddy but there is definitely ways to alleviate the pain to give you a better life quality.
Good luck

I think the damage has been done to my neck (permanent). I did this for 5 years. It slowly got worse and worse where Aleve was not working anymore. Even Norco 5 mg didn't help much. Now I only work 40 hours instead but the pain reappears after about 20 minuites on the computer. Have had my work station checked, all is fine. Thanks for your input everyone.