We don’t start off with poor posture as children. It gets worse over time. As adults, sitting at a computer 8 hours a day causes a number of desk job health issues.
Poor Computer Posture: The Cause and Effect Relationship Between Muscle Tension and Chronic Pain
In 2012, I started improving my computer posture. It was difficult to learn what good computer posture looked like back then. Learning self-improvement on the internet wasn’t as abundant as it is today.
Once I finally learned what correct computer posture was, I couldn’t hold that healthy position for 5 minutes. I’d quickly slip back into a compromised, vulnerable, poor posture.
Even today, correct posture is a daily challenge for me. When I get to my computer in the morning, I have good posture. But even after years of studying computer ergonomics, my posture still gets gradually worse as the day goes on. Correct posture is always going to be a process that I’m working to maintain and improve.
The position we work in isn’t the cause of our chronic pain from desk work. Our pain is the effect we feel. Our poor posture can make our pain worse. But it isn’t the cause.
This article will help computer users understand how muscle tension is the cause of chronic pain.
This article is not professional medical advice. It’s based off my personal experience and opinions. For years, my desk job health issues caused excessive muscle tension and chronic pain. Bad computer posture also decreased my mental clarity, energy level, and work productivity.
All the workplace ergonomic tips I write about are directly related to improving posture at a computer. We are our own primary caretakers. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
Poor Computer Posture
Sitting at a computer desk is not the enemy. Perfect posture can even cause pain if we stay in that position for long periods of time.
That’s what makes the relationship between computer posture and pain so complex. Even if we have perfect posture, we will eventually feel the effect of pain. A good way to avoid this is to switch back and forth from sit and stand workstations. For more ideas on how to avoid sitting at a computer all day and its effects, check out my article titled How Often Should You Stand Up from Your Desk.
Poor Ergonomics and Chronic Pain
Sitting at a computer desk is an endurance event each day. Some of the muscles in our body are working overtime. Other muscles are deactivated and hardly working at all. This is a classic description of desk job muscle tension.
Our bodies weren’t made to hold the exact same position for long periods of time. We are capable of it, but it comes with costs. The first cost is muscle tension. The second cost is chronic pain.
Repetitive strain and overuse injuries cause our muscles to get tighter and tighter. Muscles are attached to tendons. Those tendons are attached to bone, often at a joint like the knee or shoulder. Muscles are designed to accommodate a lot of blood flow. Tendons contain a lot less blood flow than muscles.
As muscles get tighter, they pull our tendons. Then, our tendons pull our bodies out of alignment and into bad posture. This is why joint pain is a common computer-related injury. But the problem didn’t actually start in the joint.
Take a look at the drawing of a shoulder (above).
The muscles are depicted as red because they have more blood flow than tendons (which are depicted as white). Tight muscles cause overextension of the tendons. These tendons get inflamed and painful at the joint. People often make the mistake of treating the joint because it hurts. Compared to treating the tight muscle, which is actually the cause of the pain.
As Ida Rolf used to say, “The issue is in the tissues.” Meaning that desk job muscle tension is the cause of the pain. And the muscle is what we need to focus on healing.
When a muscle gets tight, its tendons typically get painful and inflamed quickly. The muscle might be sore, but this is normally temporary because muscles have more blood flow. And blood circulation decreases inflammation. Our tendons get a lot less blood flow than our muscles do. That’s why we are much more likely to feel pain in the tendons, before we feel it in the muscles.
Preventing Chronic Pain from Desk Work
Here are some of my favorite ways how to prevent muscle pain from computer use.
Can Chiropractic Care Improve Your Computer Posture?
Luckily, I’ve found a great chiropractor in my area that’s been helping me for years. She does adjustments like any chiropractor, but she also does soft tissue release work. I go to her once a week, regardless if I’m feeling any pain or not. To learn more about my experience, as well as what I look for in a chiropractor, check out my article titled Can Chiropractic Care Improve Your Computer Posture?
Top Recovery Tools for Better Posture
As far as decreasing tension and healing my muscles at home, I like to use multiple different tools. These include my Hypervolt Massage Gun, my Normatec Compression Sleeves, and my Eight Sleep mattress cover (that is temperature-controlled). To learn about these products and how they’ve helped me with computer posture and pain relief, read my article titled Top Recovery Tools for Better Posture.
How to Cold Plunge for Beginners
I started cold plunging in January 2023. I’ve gotten a number of health benefits from it. My cold plunge routine has helped improve my blood flow. When I have improved blood flow, my muscle pain is decreased. My muscle recovery is quicker. It’s also helped improve my nervous system regulation. Focusing on breathing slowly and deeply, while in the cold plunge, has helped me relax more in general.
Don’t get me wrong. The cold water is rough. But as soon as I get out and dry off, I feel a huge improvement every time. It’s one of my favorite home remedies for reducing pain and muscle tension.
Cold plunging also doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I wrote an article about my basic cold plunge process. To see how easy cold plunging can be, read my article titled How to Cold Plunge for Beginners.
Ergonomic Office Setup for Pain Relief
Correct computer posture will greatly decrease the risk of muscle tension and chronic pain. I’ve created a free ebook that talks about the 3 most painful computer posture mistakes I used to make. The ways to fix these mistakes include correct eye level, elbow height, and foot positioning at a computer. My ebook tells you how to fix these ergonomic variables in relation to your desk level and monitor screen.
All the computer use and muscle strain relief tips in this ebook apply, regardless if you’re sitting at a computer or using a standing workstation. My ebook is titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately! You can download it for free here.
THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN COMPUTER POSTURE.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce computer-related injuries by improving your posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article on poor computer posture, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
>>> Click here to download your free copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful, poor computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen