Why women are more likely to experience neck and shoulder pain and what to do about it
Nicola Tik
Neck and shoulder pain is one of the most common physical complaints among people who work at desks. But it does not affect everyone equally. Women are more likely to experience it, more likely to find it persists, and more likely to have it affect multiple areas at once. There are real reasons for this, and understanding them makes it easier to find an approach that actually helps.
Several factors contribute to women experiencing more neck and shoulder pain than men, and they tend to interact with each other rather than working in isolation.
Muscle mass and fibre composition differ on average between men and women. The muscles of the neck and upper back are generally smaller relative to the load they are asked to carry, which means they fatigue more quickly under sustained demand. Holding a head upright for a full working day is more effortful when the supporting muscles have less reserve to draw on.
Ligament laxity, the natural looseness of connective tissue around joints, tends to be higher in women. This affects the stability of the neck and shoulder joints under load, particularly during repetitive tasks like typing, using a mouse, or holding a phone.
Hormonal changes also play a role. Oestrogen affects how muscles and connective tissue respond to load and recover from it. This means the neck and shoulders can feel more vulnerable at certain points in the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and after the menopause. Many women notice this pattern without necessarily connecting it to hormonal shifts.
Stress carries in the body too, and research suggests women are more likely to hold tension in the neck and shoulder region. A demanding day, poor sleep, or a high mental load can all show up physically in this area before anywhere else.
A few patterns commonly contribute to neck and shoulder pain building up over a working day. Looking at a screen that is too far away or too low encourages the head to drift forward, which increases the load on the neck significantly. Reaching forward to use a keyboard or mouse pulls the shoulders away from a supported position. Staying in one position for too long, even a relatively comfortable one, allows tension to accumulate.
It is also worth knowing that the neck and shoulders rarely work in isolation. Tightness or fatigue in one area tends to affect the other, and the upper back is usually involved too. Pain that feels like it is coming from the shoulder is sometimes being driven by tension further up the neck, and vice versa.
The good news is that neck and shoulder pain responds well to the right kind of attention. A few things that many people find genuinely useful:
Keeping the area moving through the day makes a real difference. Gentle neck rolls, shoulder shrugs, and rolling the shoulders back periodically help maintain blood flow and reduce the build-up of tension. These do not need to be formal exercises, just small movements woven into the working day.
Building strength in the muscles of the upper back and shoulders over time gives the area more resilience. Stronger supporting muscles fatigue less quickly and recover more readily, which means the same working day feels less demanding on the body.
Rest is also part of the picture. The neck and shoulder muscles do a lot of sustained work through the day, and they need time to recover. Winding down screen use in the evening and finding a comfortable sleeping position both contribute to how the area feels the next morning.
If you would like to try some guided movement for the neck and shoulders, VIDA has exercises you can follow at your own pace.
If you notice tingling or numbness spreading down your arm, or weakness in your hand alongside neck or shoulder pain, it is worth speaking to your GP or a physiotherapist.