Is My Laptop Causing My Neck Pain?

I sit at my laptop at work and by the end of the day my neck is extremely painful.   I have tried massage but it only seems to work for a few days.  What do you suggest?

----Donald

Donald, this is becoming an ever increasing problem for my patients.  Most people are using laptops now rather than desktops.

The number one problem with laptops is that typically, they aren’t set up ergonomically correct. 

Specific to the cervical spine, incorrect ergonomics puts a great deal of stress on the muscles, ligaments, skeleton and nerves of the neck.

1.        The top of your laptop should be at eye level directly centered in front of you.  It should be about an arm’s length in front of you.

2.       Your desk surface should be roughly belly button level and your elbows should be at 90 degree angle.

3.       Your feet should be flat on the floor with your knees at a 90 degree angle.

Lastly, pertaining to the temporary effect of massage, it tells me that the muscular symptoms are secondary to another underlying problem. 

This is most common with those individuals whose pain or discomfort is a result of a skeletal condition such as nerve or disk compression.  Often it is associated with radicular symptoms such as shoulder or arm pain, burning or numbness.

If this describes you Donald, I would get examined immediately before it gets worse.