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I don't mean to minimize the importance of good/appropriate
glasses, monitor level and other ergonomic factors, but for
whatever it's worth:
After more than a year with a chronic stiff neck, the
advice that worked best for me came from a physical
therapist. It's a simple little exercise: Stand in a
doorway, lean your forearms and palms on the door frame on
both sides (elbows just a little lower than shoulder
height, and forearms up, palms forward), and then gently
lean forward through the door, using your own body weight
to stretch the affected muscles.
This is really only a little stretch of the neck, shoulder
and upper-back muscles, but it really hits the spot
(gets all the right "computer muscles"), and it really
works for me when I remember to do it just once or twice a
day.
