Neck and back pain? Don't get me started. I am right this minute wearing what amounts to a reverse bra – a brace across my back – to keep my shoulders back.
I literally never stop whinging about my back, neck and shoulders, an occupational hazard for anyone who sits at their desk for far too many hours a day.
![Physiotherapist Pete Hunt is starting to see a lot of people with neck and back pain related to their mobile.](/web/20170428053033im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/r/p/f/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvrpcf.png/1493087503187.jpg)
Recently I had a revelation. I went to see a hand specialist as the pain has been referred into my thumb and the practitioner noted my shoulders were uneven. I didn't think much of it, but I caught myself in the mirror a couple of days later and I figured out why.
For years I had been blaming using a mouse for most of my troubles. But it's not the mouse – at least not mainly – that's to blame.
It's the fact I cradle my mobile at the side of my neck when I do phone interviews for my stories. So for most of the day my neck is craned at an awkward angle. And it has been for the last 15 years. No wonder my neck hurts.
To compensate, the muscles in the right side of my neck are over-developed, while those on the left side barely work at all. Take a look at your own neck.
I would not be surprised if it's the same for you. Research confirms how much of a problem neck and back pain are for many of us.
A study by standing desk suppliers Veridesk found 42 per cent of the 1000 people surveyed for the report said they have had a sick day due to back or neck pain. Almost a third (28 per cent) said they have taken up to five sick days in the past year due to back and neck pain. That's a huge productivity issue for every business.
Physiotherapist Pete Hunt from Collins Street Physio is starting to see a lot of people at his clinic with neck and back pain related to their mobile.
"Historically there's been issues with people who do a lot of 'mousing', especially if you hold the mouse wide out to the side; it means you're doing a lot of work through your shoulder and rotator cuff. It's small amounts of work but over hours and weeks problems build up," Hunt says.
"Now we're starting to see problems because people use their phones so much more as the functionality is so amazing. We can read our emails, watch movies, look at newspapers. We do everything on our mobiles we needed a computer to do in the past. So we're looking down a lot more," he explains.
One of Hunt's clients switched entirely from a laptop to a mobile phone so she didn't have to carry a computer with her when she was travelling. Massive mistake.
For years I had been blaming using a mouse for most of my troubles. But it's not the mouse – at least not mainly – that's to blame.
"She came in with terrible neck, shoulder and arm pain. She thought using a phone was a great idea, but then went through the consequences of what was happening. She went straight to HR that afternoon and got a laptop, " Hunt says.
Us smartphone junkies need to use our devices more ergonomically. So hold the phone more at eye level and switch hands from time-to-time when looking at the screen.
If you use a laptop, buy a stand for it so the screen is at eye level and get a wireless ergonomic keyboard and mouse. Don't spend hour after hour in front of a screen.
For me the solution has been to use headphones as much as possible when I take or make a call. I should have been using them for years. It means I'm not cradling a phone in my neck when I'm doing interviews and has helped reduce the pressure on my neck.
If you run a small business, think about a small change you could make to reduce stress on your body – and encourage staff to do the same.
Do you have work-related neck and back pain? How do you resolve it?
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