Neck pain, back stiffness, heavy shoulders – are you experiencing these symptoms? Before blaming anyone, try checking your own behavior first because these wrong habits are the real culprits causing subsequent diseases. But what behaviors increase the risk of cervical spondylosis without us realizing it?
“Cervical spondylosis” is no longer just a disease of the elderly
Don’t be complacent thinking that cervical spondylosis only affects the elderly because nowadays, working-age people like us have become the main targets. Normally, our cervical spine moves constantly, more than 600 times per hour. This doesn’t even include enduring pressure, twisting, impact, and importantly, tension. After extensive use, it’s no surprise that the cervical spine gradually degenerates. If we have behaviors that increase risk and damage the cervical spine, it will worsen the condition. But what are these behaviors? Here are 5 examples of office worker habits that unknowingly harm the cervical spine.
Sitting in the same position for a long time
Sitting in the same position for many hours without getting up or changing posture not only compresses the nerves in the cervical spine but may also cause calcium deposits to form on the cervical bones. If left untreated for a long time, the degenerated cervical spine may collapse and compress the spinal cord, causing headaches, numbness in the arms, or increased weakness.
Placing the computer too low or too high relative to eye level
Why is computer placement important? Because if the computer is placed below eye level, you will have to bend your arms and lower your head while working. Sitting like this for a long time causes neck muscle tension, making the cervical spine work harder. If the computer is placed above eye level, you have to tilt your head up too much, which also harms the cervical spine. Therefore, the best posture is to place the computer at eye level, allowing your arms to rest in a proper position without having to bend or tilt your head for long periods.
Constantly looking down while chatting
Whether on the BTS, walking, in restaurants, or even in the office, the common sight is everyone looking down at their phones chatting all the time, ignoring their surroundings. But did you know that looking down for long periods causes neck muscles to become tired and tense, forming knots? This behavior also makes the upper cervical spine bear six times more weight than normal, which is a major factor causing premature cervical spine degeneration.
Reluctant to exercise
Many people use being busy as an excuse not to exercise, but exercise actually helps strengthen muscles and slows down cervical spine degeneration. You can start with simple neck movements like nodding, tilting left-right, rotating, or applying resistance by pushing your neck. This helps because when we have neck pain, we tend to avoid moving that area, which over time leads to muscle laziness and weakness.
Muscle tension forms knots, and this behavior also makes the upper cervical spine bear six times more weight than normal, which is a major factor causing premature cervical spine degeneration.
Change your behavior starting today. It’s better than having to spend nearly your entire lifetime’s salary on surgery to treat cervical disc degeneration caused by bad habits that you could have prevented yourself.
