I suffered from severe back and arm pain about 3 years ago. I'm talking about so severe that I could hardly function. Turns out that I suffer from arthritis and disk degeneration (sp?) in my neck. Traction helped to get me through that bad spell, but it scared me that at 39 years old (at that point) that I could have such a bad problem. The traction relieved the pressure on the nerve that leads to my arm, which was causing the problem.

I was instructed to make sure that I used a headphone for my telephone, hold my steering wheel at 5 and 7 (o'clock), and definitely have a drop down keyboard and sit up straight! Heck, I was even warned about the way I position myself when I sleep.

Anything you can do to make your office/computer place more ergonomically correct will help you, I promise.

I have no natural curve in my spine, especially around the neck region, either. I want to avoid surgery at all costs, but eventually, I will have to have it, I fear. Just recently, I started having the numbness in my right arm and hand again, periodically. Thank goodness, I haven't had the pain associated with it this time, but the MRI I had, just week before last, showed continued deterioration of the disks in my neck.

Do I need to be more diligent about my posture and following the rules? YES!!!!

Take care of yourself. It only gets worse as you get older.