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PrintYearning for a Good ‘Neck’ Sleep?
Have you ever woken up with a stiff and/or painful neck or shoulder, and wonder if it is because of the pillow that is causing the problem?
If the answer is most likely a yes, continue to read on.
A pillow that fails to support the neck probably will cause the neck to end up in a wrong position for a long period of time, which inevitably causes excessive stress to the neck and leads to pain. The question here is, how do we choose a good pillow?
A GOOD pillow is one that could help preserve the natural curvature of the neck, and the position in which the neck has its normal curvature is called the neutral position of the neck. This is important because the muscles at the neck can be supported so that they can relax and not overwork throughout the night. Just like a good back support could help us maintain a good back posture and prevent overworking of the back muscles, a good pillow could help us maintain a good neck posture at night.
Before we talk about how to choose the most suitable pillow for yourself, we must look at the sleeping positions. The reason is that with different sleeping positions, different support is required to maintain a neutral neck postion.
Back sleeper
When someone lies on his/ her back without a pillow, the head usually falls downwards and the chin tilts upwards. This puts a lot of stress on the neck as it aggravates the reversed “C-shape” of the neck. The situation would be worse if he / she has a stiff / hunched upper back.
A good pillow for back sleeper is one that could fill the gap between the back of the head and the upper back, so the natural curve of the neck can be maintained. There are many contour pillows that could help achieve this.
When using a contour pillow, the higher end should be inserted underneath the hollow of the neck closer to your shoulder.
What to look out for:
- Place your hands around your neck to feel for any muscle tightness/tension. If you are in the correct position, your neck muscles will be relaxed.
- Get someone to take a look at your neck posture from the side view. He/she should be able to draw a straight line from the ear lobe to the shoulder joint and the hip joint.
Modification:
If your pillow is too low for you, you could use towels and pile them on top of a regular pillow (the towel is the modified higher end of the contour pillow, and works to fill the gap between the back of the head and the upper back). Do not use a regular pillow that is too high or too low, which either bends the neck too much forward or allow too much backward arching of the neck.
Side sleeper
A contour pillow may best serve the purpose of maintaining a neutral neck.
The higher end of the pillow again needs to be underneath the hollow of the neck. It is also important to pull the pillow as close as possible to the top of your shoulder. The height of the contour is usually equal to the width measured from the base of the neck to the tip of the shoulder of the same side.
What to look out for:
- As shown in the picture above, the spine should form a straight horizontal line, parallel to the floor.
Modifiation:
Again, an extra pile of towels on top of a regular pillow may be used as a modification of a contour pillow.
Tummy sleeper
Though this is not a sleeping position recommended as it forces the neck to be turned to one side and also arch backwards excessively, some people do sleep this way. For people who sleep on their tummies, it is the best to choose a regular pillow that is soft and low.
The pillow also needs to be pulled lower so that it supports the top part of the chest. Those could help prevent excessive neck rotation and backward arching.
Top 5 Office Exercises
Do you have trouble with neck and back stiffness and tingling sensation down to your fingers? Or, frequent neck and back stiffness from prolonged sitting in front of computer and tingling sensation at your fingers from prolonged typing.
The following office exercises are a great way to prevent these symptoms from happening. These exercises involve stretching of neck, back and wrist keeping your body from becoming stiff and moving all within the comfort of your office chair.
If you have any injuries, illnesses or other conditions, please see a doctor before trying out these exercises.
Want to correct your Posture? Try Cogwheel Model.
The Cogwheel Model is a theory of postural correction where the segments of the body are all related. These segments are like cogwheels, i.e. when one part moves, the others should naturally follow. These segments are the low back/pelvis, trunk and head/neck regions.
To correct a slouched posture using the Cogwheel method, you should tilts your pelvis and lower back forward, subsequently the slouch in your upper back should be reduced and your head/ neck will be pulled back on top of the shoulders. It is the movement from a slouched posture to an upright posture through the cogwheel and the practice of this movement that give one self-awareness to be able to manage his/her own posture and spinal condition.
Sling bag vs. back pack vs. luggage bag, which one should I pick?
Have you ever wondered why your shoulder or back is painful after carrying a bag? Or do you ever wonder if your children are getting the most suitable bags for their posture and growing body? Let’s now look at how each type of bag should be carried, and what the common problems may be when carrying a bag wrongly.
Sling bag
As we all use our shoulders to carry a bag, let’s start by looking at the normal structure of the shoulder. The shape of the shoulders is that the part that is near the base of neck is usually higher than the tip of the shoulder, so it creates a natural “down slope”. Therefore, when a sling bag is carried only on one shoulder, the tendency is for the bag to slide off the shoulder. In order to stop the bag from sliding, one usually needs to lift up the shoulder on the same side to level the “down slope”. This can eventually leads to overuse of the shoulder and neck muscles, and causes pain and stiffness.
The correct way to carry a sling bag is to carry it with its strap across the chest. By doing so, the weight of the bag pulls the strap towards the base of the neck (the “cross” effect), instead of slipping off the shoulder. Thus there wouldn’t be a need for the shoulder to elevate excessively. Another benefit of carrying a sling bag across the chest is that the weight of the bag can be supported by the hip or back, the downward pull on the shoulder is also lesser, which helps reduce the risk of over-using the neck and shoulder muscles.
Back pack
There are many different designs of back pack, but they all share one thing in common: there are 2 straps and one on each shoulder. Hence, there won’t be any tendency for the bag to slip off the shoulder (as compared to the sling bag), so there will be less risk of shoulder / neck overuse injury. Speaking of which, that is provided the bag is indeed carried by the defaulted way: carried on 2 shoulders. If the back pack is carried on one shoulder with only one strap being used, it turns out to be another “modified sling bag”, and of course may lead to problems as mentioned above too.
Let’s say now we do carry the bag on both shoulders, does it mean one will definitely have a correct way of carrying it? The answer is “no”. Have you ever wondered why many parents complain that their school-going kids have terrible posture when they carry their school bags? So, what went wrong here?
When carrying a back pack, the length of the strap is most crucial: if too long, the back pack will “lean backward” instead of pulling straight “downward”; the backward “leaning” would encourage a body “forward leaning” or in some people “forward hunching”. This eventually leads to either a much hunched spine, or elevated shoulders, or both, giving rise to many back and shoulder problems such as back / shoulder pain or poor posture.
So the key is to adjust the length of the strap so that the back pack stays closely in contact with the back. If possible, look for bags that have front straps that cross the chest / abdomen, as those straps can hold the bag closely to the body. The closer and more firmly the bag is to the body, the less movement of the bags, and the less the body needs to work to carry it with you.
Luggage bag
Pulling a luggage bag is probably easier for the back as the load now is on the ground. It has less impact on back posture (either good or bad to start with). But not to forget, if the length of the handle is not correctly adjusted, for example, if it’s too short, one needs to turn and bend to the side to pull the bag which may lead to back strain. On the other hand, if the length of the handle is too long, one would need to excessively lift the shoulder to accommodate the position of the handle, which is also not ideal for the posture.
The key here is to ensure appropriate length of the handle so that when you pull the bag, you shoulder should remain down and relaxed with elbow bent slightly. There shouldn’t be any turning or side-bending of the trunk too. Last but not least, the weight of the bag also should not be too heavy to cause possible arm muscle strain, especially when the travel time required is long.
Office Ergonomics or the lack of it.
A large number of people who seek medical help for their musculoskeletal problems usually present with neck, shoulder and back pains. These clients are often deskbound at work and with the increase use of computers, it is no wonder the incidence of spinal pains is on the rise.
The repetitive stress associated with our work environment can be minimized with an understanding of the flaws of mass produced furniture, combine with a little effort and common sense in altering and re-organizing our work station. Below are some of the complaints most office workers express. (more…)
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Musculoskeletal Consumer Review caught up with Ms Cheryl Liew-Chng, CEO of LifeWorkz, a management consultancy specializing in Work-Life, Gender and Generations in the Workplace, to discuss about workplace health and the common – and often elusive – challenge of achieving work-life balance, from both the individual and organizational viewpoint.
Impact of Medical Information On The Net
Musculoskeletal Consumer Review took an opportunity to sit with Dr. Leslie Tay, a Resident Family Doctor from Karri Family Clinic to discuss about the impact of medical information on the internet. Dr. Tay is also a famous Singapore food blogger providing insights into the local hawker’s lives, Singapore’s food culture and trends in the development of Singapore hawker food. His food blog has been featured in various newspapers, including The Straits Times and Lian He Zao Bao.
Repetitive Strain Injuries – Are you a victim of it?
Repetitive Strain Injuries is really a blanket name for health problems that result from over-use or misuse of muscles, tendons, and nerves. Unlike strains and sprains, which occurs from a single incident, RSIs develop over time. Therefore, repetitive strain injuries are also called Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD).
Eye Strain
You have experienced tearing, fatigue of the eye, or headache after a period of intensive prolonged work at a computer, you may be suffering from eyestrain. (more…)
