Rejuvenated neck and shoulder pain
No longer a common disease in middle-aged or elderly people, neck and shoulder pain is showing a clear trend of rejuvenation, especially among office workers. The habit of using phones and computers for a long time along with incorrect sitting posture is causing many young people to face the risk of bone and joint damage from an early age.
As a communications staff in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Minh Trang (27 years old, Cau Giay ward) said that her work is associated with computers for 8 to 10 hours a day. In addition to working hours, she still regularly uses her phone to reply to messages, surf social networks or entertain.
There are days when I sit continuously all morning and forget to get up. At first, I only felt my neck tired, my shoulders stiff, but gradually the pain spread down to my shoulder blades," Ms. Trang said.
Similarly, Mr. Tran Quoc Hung (29 years old, office worker, Tay Ho ward, Hanoi) shared that neck and shoulder pain in himself appears more and more often due to the nature of his work requiring many hours of sitting at the computer.
“Sometimes, I felt so painful that it was difficult to turn my neck. I thought I was young and subjective, but after going for an examination, I found out that the muscles in the neck and shoulder area had been stiff for a long time,” Mr. Hung said.
Disease prevention from changing habits
According to experts, neck and shoulder pain is becoming increasingly common in young people, reflecting a major change in modern living and working habits.
Doctor Nguyen Thi Thuy Van - Department of Obstetrics (Central Hospital of Traditional Medicine) - said that currently, the rate of office workers suffering from neck and shoulder pain due to the habit of holding phones for a long time, bowing their necks for a long time or typing continuously is very common.
The main reason comes from maintaining a posture for too long, causing the neck and shoulder area to bear prolonged pressure. Not changing positions or exercising in the middle of the hour causes muscle groups to become tense. In particular, a regulated working environment with cold air blowing directly into the neck and shoulder area further increases the risk of pain," Dr. Thuy Van analyzed.
To prevent this situation, Dr. Thuy Van recommends that workers should not sit with their necks bent continuously for long periods of time. After every 45 minutes to an hour of work, they should stand up and gently exercise their neck and shoulders and change positions.
In addition, it is necessary to limit the cold wind from the air conditioner blowing directly into the neck and shoulders area. Room temperature should also not be too low, especially in the summer.
The ideal air conditioning temperature should only be at 26-27 degrees Celsius. If the temperature difference between outdoors and indoors is too large, the muscles in the neck and shoulder area will easily stiffen," Dr. Thuy Van advised.
Regarding treatment, Dr. Thuy Van said that traditional medicine currently has many effective methods in treating neck and shoulder diseases. Depending on the condition of the disease, doctors can combine treatment using traditional medicine with non-drug methods such as acupuncture, massage and acupressure, ventous massage, and anesthetic treatment. In addition, some Western medicine treatment methods such as ultrasound therapy, electroimpulsion, etc. are also being combined to increase recovery effectiveness.
