When writing becomes a pain in the neck

Combatting the annoying and excruciating "tech neck" side effect of writing regularly

I'm very proud of the productive writing practice I've managed to build in the past several months, but unfortunately the daily habit has resulted in an unforeseen problem: I'm having a lot of pain.

On days I get up early to write, I sit down at my desk around 5 a.m. and ideally write for a couple of hours, with a couple of very short breaks to get more coffee. Then I usually shower, walk to dog, and sit back down for my regular work day, which usually involves several hours of video calls and a lot of computer work. Even though later in the day I'm usually up and down more often, taking breaks or another walk or two, the damage is done: my neck and shoulders are locked down tight.

Over the past few months, this has resulted in neck pain I just can't shake. I'm taking Advil a couple times a day to ward off tension headaches and trying a lot of exercises and contraptions, but the problem persists. The pain is with me all the time.

I'm sharing this in solidarity with other writers who are going through the same thing—along with some things I'm trying that are helping.

What's helping my neck pain

1. An ergonomic keyboard tray. Part of my problem was how high my desk is, so that I'm reaching up all day to type and mouse. I instead this clamp-on keyboard tray (which I like because I didn't have to drill it onto my desk). Now my keyboard and mouse practically sit in my lap, which actually helps my posture and allows me to relax my shoulders.
   

2. Tech neck yoga. Yoga with Adriene has a yoga for text neck routine that's fast and effective. You can pretty much do this in 20-25 minutes, and it helps if you do it a couple times a week. (Pro tip: you can forward to about 4:00 in the video to skip her prelude and get right to the stretches.)
   

3. Neck exercises. These stretches from an orthopedic practice's website have been super effective. I've been trying to do them between meetings and tasks to relieve some of the tension throughout the day.
   

4. Heated pillows! I've always sworn by those microwaveable aromatherapy neck pillows, which I will often use while watching TV or reading in bed. (My husband calls them my "stink pillows.") They're also great for neck support even if they're not hot.
   

5. CBD cream. I use this CBD peppermint lavender massage cream, which provides temporary relief, or at least the perception of relief, because it's soothing and tingly when you first put it on.
   

6. Ibuprofen. I have absolutely no qualms about taking Advil for pain, especially if I have headaches with it. It relieves the pain like nothing else.
   

7. Cannabis. I don't use this much, but I've noticed that it helps when I do, because it allows me to relax and probably loosens my muscles.
   

8. Neck and back massager. There are a thousand kinds of these on the market; I bought one of the Papillion shiatsu massagers for my husband a few years ago and use it more myself than he does. It digs into the muscles and provides temporary relief, though it really only lasts for about a day.
   

9. Human massage. I just got my first massage in months, and it did help a lot. The therapist really dug into some of the stickiest spots and gave me tips on how to do this myself every day. I vow to schedule one at least once every couple of months.
   

10. Voltaren for arthritis pain. I have a tube of this I keep around for tendonitis in my hand, and I just starting using it on my neck. Like the CBD cream, it seems to provide temporary relief.

What isn't working

• Curved pillows. I ordered a pillow that was ranked one of the top picks for side sleepers by Wirecutter, but I got the crescent-shaped kind, with a cutout for my shoulder. I think it's actually made things worse, and I wake up every morning in pain. I'm throwing it out and just ordered a Sleep Number ComfortFit Ultimate, which my husband swears by.
  

• Massage guns. I bought one of those theraguns to travel with. It seemed like it would work miracles, because it is supposed to target a specific problem spot. But I never feel any relief after I use it, regardless of the attachment I try.
  

• Those plastic shiatsu massagers that you "squeeze" don't seem to help much.

Jury's still out

I bought the Shakti Mats for neck and back. The few times I've tried them, they seem to promise relief, but the spikes hurt so badly I haven't been able to fully realize the benefits. Supposedly I need to breathe through the pain and it will eventually dissipate. I'll keep trying!

If you're a writer with "tech neck," what are your tricks for alleviating the pain?