Help me keep my boyfriend's head on his neck, please!
October 30, 2014 5:54 AM Subscribe
Poor boyfriend just started grad school and has already strained his neck. Help me help him, please?
He had really bad luck and hurt his neck bringing a book shelf into his room, and is still hurting a bit weeks after. He has bought a better pillow and is propping up his books on his desk, but I want to do more for him. I can't buy him a better desk, but maybe a massage blanket thingy?
Even if you only know short (he is super busy) neck exercises he can do in his room, please let me know. Thank you!
He had really bad luck and hurt his neck bringing a book shelf into his room, and is still hurting a bit weeks after. He has bought a better pillow and is propping up his books on his desk, but I want to do more for him. I can't buy him a better desk, but maybe a massage blanket thingy?
Even if you only know short (he is super busy) neck exercises he can do in his room, please let me know. Thank you!
Response by poster: Sorry, forgot to say that of course he did see a doctor!
posted by LoonyLovegood at 6:21 AM on October 30, 2014
posted by LoonyLovegood at 6:21 AM on October 30, 2014
Best answer: I strained my neck - or better description I guess is that the muscles were spasming and I couldn't move it well and it was crazy tight.
Along with the muscle relaxant and pain meds - which I hardly took - the doctor said to use heat and light massage. They make those thermal pack things specifically for necks that stay hot for 8 hours and has sticky tabs on the end. I used those at work (and wore a scarf) and I also gently rubbed my neck often.
You can also make a slim rice bag to heat in the microwave if you have okay sewing skills you can sew one or you can fill a long sock with rice and tie the end. Heat it in 30 second increments until it's hot enough then lay it around the neck.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:29 AM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Along with the muscle relaxant and pain meds - which I hardly took - the doctor said to use heat and light massage. They make those thermal pack things specifically for necks that stay hot for 8 hours and has sticky tabs on the end. I used those at work (and wore a scarf) and I also gently rubbed my neck often.
You can also make a slim rice bag to heat in the microwave if you have okay sewing skills you can sew one or you can fill a long sock with rice and tie the end. Heat it in 30 second increments until it's hot enough then lay it around the neck.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:29 AM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh and I should have clarified to heat it in the microwave if that wasn't clear.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:39 AM on October 30, 2014
posted by Crystalinne at 6:39 AM on October 30, 2014
Best answer: It's helpful to sit up straight to keep the neck in the correct position (propping up books helps, but also maybe lumbar support for a chair, if he doesn't have something ergonomic). It's also helpful to stretch forward this like this, with hands on the wall or the back of a chair. He can bend his legs a little if he's not flexible enough to keep them straight. I usually hold the stretch for about a minute, and let the muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders relax. It can help as much as massage. Muscle relaxants definitely help if it gets really bad. When I hurt my neck pain medicine didn't help much at all, unfortunately.
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:06 AM on October 30, 2014
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:06 AM on October 30, 2014
Best answer: Oh god, I struggled with neck pain my whole first year of grad school! Some things that helped me:
- ELEVATE HIS OFFICE COMPUTER MONITOR. This was the biggest thing for me. Make sure that the center of the screen is at his eye level or just above. He should NOT ever be looking down at his monitor, not even a little bit!
- Trigger point massage, especially in the scalene muscles. Here's a good rundown of how to get the scalene points; once he can recognize the feeling when that muscle is being targeted, it gets easier to hit it via self-massage (I do it at least a few times a day while I sit at my desk). If it's tough to reach, using a thera-cane or similar device helps a lot. There's a decent little map of the common scalene trigger points here; the one that was giving me the most trouble is the one closest to the back. The trapezius is also a good target, especially the spots right at the base of the neck (and that link includes pointers to some of the other small muscles that could be causing the problems if the scalenes & trapezius points don't take care of it). This site is a good general trigger point resource if you find that this approach is working.
posted by dialetheia at 10:07 AM on October 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
- ELEVATE HIS OFFICE COMPUTER MONITOR. This was the biggest thing for me. Make sure that the center of the screen is at his eye level or just above. He should NOT ever be looking down at his monitor, not even a little bit!
- Trigger point massage, especially in the scalene muscles. Here's a good rundown of how to get the scalene points; once he can recognize the feeling when that muscle is being targeted, it gets easier to hit it via self-massage (I do it at least a few times a day while I sit at my desk). If it's tough to reach, using a thera-cane or similar device helps a lot. There's a decent little map of the common scalene trigger points here; the one that was giving me the most trouble is the one closest to the back. The trapezius is also a good target, especially the spots right at the base of the neck (and that link includes pointers to some of the other small muscles that could be causing the problems if the scalenes & trapezius points don't take care of it). This site is a good general trigger point resource if you find that this approach is working.
posted by dialetheia at 10:07 AM on October 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: No office, just a dorm room and a laptop... And we're long distance, so I can't massage him for now. (Plus I'd love a massage of my own for my hurting back - I sleep on an awful mattress and pillow...) I'll send him your links, thank you!
posted by LoonyLovegood at 10:15 AM on October 30, 2014
posted by LoonyLovegood at 10:15 AM on October 30, 2014
Best answer: Does he spend much time working with that laptop? Those things are an ergonomic disaster: you basically get to choose whether the keyboard is too high or the screen too low or both. $30 spent on a separate USB keyboard and mouse will let the laptop be set up properly for desktop use.
Contrary to the advice above, all the workstation ergonomic guidelines I've ever seen put the top edge of the screen, not the centre, at eye level. I know from personal experience that it's just as possible to get a sore neck from a screen that's too high as from one that's too low. But working any length of time with the top edge of the screen at chin height? That will hurt.
Seat height should be such that when the feet are flat on the floor, the thighs are horizontal. Keyboard height should make the forearms horizontal when the shoulders are relaxed. And most important of all, the vertical centre of the screen must be centred; an hour spent looking at a screen even 10° off centre gives me noticeable one-sided upper back pain.
posted by flabdablet at 10:17 AM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Contrary to the advice above, all the workstation ergonomic guidelines I've ever seen put the top edge of the screen, not the centre, at eye level. I know from personal experience that it's just as possible to get a sore neck from a screen that's too high as from one that's too low. But working any length of time with the top edge of the screen at chin height? That will hurt.
Seat height should be such that when the feet are flat on the floor, the thighs are horizontal. Keyboard height should make the forearms horizontal when the shoulders are relaxed. And most important of all, the vertical centre of the screen must be centred; an hour spent looking at a screen even 10° off centre gives me noticeable one-sided upper back pain.
posted by flabdablet at 10:17 AM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: If he went to the doctor immediately after and got the strain diagnosis, and it's now weeks later and he's still hurting, he should go back to the doctor and get a referral to physical therapy. I could share neck exercises, but without knowing which muscles are fucked up in his neck (and there are dozens in there, ask me how I know), and which ones are the ones that actually got injured versus the ones that are just very unhappy as a byproduct of the injury and how he's been holding himself since then, it's hard to know what to recommend. A good physical therapist, on the other hand, will come up with an exercise plan to deal with the situation on the ground. That's probably what he needs.
Source: I totally did this, and put off physical therapy for months and months and months, and my recovery went much slower because I'd adopted all this postural weirdness to compensate for being in pain. It's really worth not screwing around with, even if you're busy.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:51 PM on October 30, 2014
Source: I totally did this, and put off physical therapy for months and months and months, and my recovery went much slower because I'd adopted all this postural weirdness to compensate for being in pain. It's really worth not screwing around with, even if you're busy.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:51 PM on October 30, 2014
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Before attempting any exercises or other therapy I would strongly recommend seeing a doctor. They would be able to identify the locations of strain/injury and could then recommend proper therapy.
I know you said he is super busy - but if this pain continues or worsens, it will get in the way of him being effective at his studies. It is worth the investment in time to deal with it appropriately and get it resolved.
posted by jammy at 6:13 AM on October 30, 2014 [2 favorites]