Why does sitting at your desk all day cause neck and back pain?

Contrary to common belief, it’s not all about poor posture.

Any position is manageable for a while, but held for hours without variation, those back, neck and shoulder muscles don’t have any chance to recover, and that’s what turns into stiffness, aching and tension by the afternoon.

• The mid-back stops moving. Sitting rounds the thoracic spine, which is the section of your back between your shoulder blades. It’s built to extend and rotate, and sitting asks it to do neither.
• The neck compensates. The neck sits directly above the mid-back. When the mid-back stiffens, the neck picks up the movement it isn’t doing, which is why neck pain so often traces back to a problem lower down.
• The muscles that hold you upright get less capable. Your posterior chain, which are the muscles down the back of your body, does very little while you’re supported by a chair. Over months and years, they become less able to hold you up comfortably.

This is why stretching your neck alone often gives relief that doesn’t last. The neck is usually where you feel it, not where it starts.

 

What you can do about back, neck and shoulder pain

These won’t resolve a problem that’s been building over months and months, but they can make a small difference to how you feel at the time. Ultimately, we recommend you book in and see one of our physiotherapists or osteopaths, but in the moment, these are what we recommend.

• Change position before you’re sore, not after. A couple of minutes of movement every 30 to 45 minutes does more than one long stretch at 5pm. Stand for a phone call, walk to fill your water bottle, change what your body is doing.
• Open up the mid-back. Sit tall, hands behind your head, and gently extend backwards over the chair for a few slow breaths. You’re targeting the section that’s been rounded all day.
• Set your screen at eye level. If you’re looking down at a laptop, your neck is holding that position for every hour you work. A stand, or a stack of books, changes the load.
• Keep your arms supported. Unsupported arms hang off your neck and shoulders. Armrests or a desk edge at the right height take that weight.

How physiotherapy and osteopathy treat desk-related back, neck and shoulder pain

When you book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists or osteopaths for neck, back or shoulder pain, here’s what the work generally looks like.

Restoring neck mobility

We release the tension that builds from hours of looking at a screen and restore comfortable, full neck movement. This is usually where people feel the most immediate change, and it’s the starting point rather than the whole plan.

Freeing up the upper and middle back

Sitting rounds the thoracic spine, which loads the neck above it. Getting movement back through the mid-back takes pressure off your neck and eases the pain that comes with it. Treating this region is often what makes neck relief hold.

Building strength through your posterior chain

We build strength in the muscles down the back of your body that hold you upright. Mobility gets you moving freely. Strength is what keeps you there, and it’s the part that stops this becoming a recurring problem every few months.

When to get desk-related pain checked

It’s worth booking an assessment if:

• The pain has been there for more than a few weeks, or keeps returning
• It’s affecting your sleep, your concentration or your work
• You’re getting headaches that start at the base of your skull
• Stretching and changing your setup have helped a bit, but not enough

Pain with numbness, pins and needles, or weakness travelling down your arm should be assessed promptly.

Ready to stop working around it?

If neck, back and shoulder pain is something you’ve been managing around at work, an assessment is the next step. Let’s work out what’s driving it and build a plan to get you out of it.

Book online or call us on 02 6021 2777.