Easing neck strain when working overhead
Nicola Tik
When the job is above you, your head tips back to see it, and there it stays. Look up for a few minutes and it is fine, but do it for an hour and the back of your neck starts to burn and tighten from holding that angle. A few changes to how you look at the work can take a lot of that strain away.
Your head is heavy, and your neck is happiest when it sits balanced on top rather than tilted right back. Tipping it back to look up closes the small joints at the base of the skull and switches the neck muscles on to hold the position. Held for a while, that is what causes the ache and stiffness. It is not damage, it is fatigue from an awkward angle, and the answer is to reduce how long your neck spends craned back.
Anything that means you look up less will help your neck most. Standing on a step or platform to get closer and more level with the job lowers how far back you have to tip your head. For inspecting or checking work, an inspection mirror or a phone camera lets you see up into a space without craning at all. Positioning yourself to one side of the job, rather than directly under it, can also ease the angle your neck has to hold.
Just like the shoulders, the neck copes far better with overhead work in short bursts than in one long stretch. Dropping your head back to level and looking straight ahead for a few moments, every few minutes, lets the muscles reset before they tire out. A gentle nod forward, bringing your chin gently towards your chest, is a nice counter to all that looking up. Little and often keeps the neck from reaching the point of seizing.
It is easy to let your head crane up while the rest of you stays still. Where you can, let your whole body help, stepping back to change your view or shifting your feet rather than tipping your head further and further back. Alternating between overhead jobs and work at a normal height through the day gives the neck natural recovery. Spreading the looking-up around, rather than doing it all at once, keeps it much happier.
If your neck is stiff after a spell of looking up, gentle movement usually settles it better than keeping still. Slow turns side to side, easing your chin gently towards your chest, or a little warmth across the neck help many people. Keeping the movements small and comfortable works better than forcing them. What helps varies from person to person, so it is worth finding what eases yours.
If you would like to try a guided neck stretch, VIDA has a short video you can follow at your own pace.