The neck is an area of the body that relies on many muscles to maintain correct posture. Many of these muscles also allow you to move your neck normally, but there are also many ways your neck muscles can become tense and painful. According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 14% of people in the U.S. may have some form of neck pain. One issue that leads to such statistics is muscle pain in the neck, and there are two types of poor posture that can lead to this type of pain. 

1.   Poor sleeping posture

Most people spend between six and eight hours sleeping every day, and this means there’s plenty of time for you to develop neck muscle pain while you sleep. This is especially likely if you have poor neck posture while you sleep. If you’re worried about your sleeping neck posture, you may want to consider how you sleep. 

It’s generally agreed that the best sleeping positions for good neck posture are on the side or back. Side sleepers should make sure their head and neck are supported correctly. If your nose is aligned with the center of your body while sleeping on your side, you’ll know your posture is fine. Back sleepers should ensure that the head and neck are level with the rest of the body. In either position, you could be placing too much tension on the neck muscles if your head is too high or too low. In turn, this tension can very easily lead to neck pain. 

2.   Poor working posture

Computers and handheld devices have become vital to today’s workforce. However, they can also cause posture problems that may lead to pain in your neck muscles. For example, the posture your neck is in while working on your computer can cause this issue. 

When working on your computer, the best neck posture is to keep your head upright and your neck aligned with the rest of your spine. This can be difficult for people who do a lot of work on a computer. For one thing, your monitor may be positioned too low or too high, and this can lead to neck postures that place high levels of tension on your neck. 

Handheld devices, like cell phones and tablets, can also lead to high neck muscle tension. This is especially likely when you’re looking at them for hours. After all, your arms will get tired, and you may stop holding the device at eye level, and this means you’ll likely look down at it, and keeping the head in this position for too long can lead to neck muscle issues.

Franklin Rehabilitation offers effective physical therapy for neck muscle pain

Now that you know some of the issues that may be causing your neck muscle pain, you may wonder where you can go to treat it. Franklin Rehabilitation can help you treat many types of neck problems. Our team will perform a one-on-one evaluation to figure out what’s causing your pain. We’ll then build you a personalized treatment plan, and this plan may include techniques like: 

• Dry needling
• Electrical stimulation
• Manual therapy
• Therapeutic stretches
• Ergonomic recommendations
• Strengthening exercises

Are you ready to take the next step to reduce your pain? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an appointment.