What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a healthcare profession focused on diagnosing, treating, and preventing disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially those involving the spine, muscles, joints, and nerves. It emphasizes a hands-on, non-invasive approach to allow your body to do the healing for you.

Is chiropractic care safe?

Chiropractic care is considered safe when provided by a qualified and registered chiropractor. Your chiropractor will discuss the relevant considerations prior to adjustments to ensure the approach suits your medical history and goals.

What is the 'cracking' sound during an adjustment?

That sound is gas releasing from a joint as it moves during adjustment, known as cavitation, where negative pressure is created during a high velocity, low amplitude adjustment. Many techniques don't produce any sound at all.

How many chiropractic sessions will I need?

This varies from person to person and depends on your current condition, how long it has been present, your lifestyle and daily demands, and your goals. Your chiropractor will outline a plan and recommendations, and you remain in control of your care.

What is a chiropractic adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment is a controlled force applied to a joint, typically in the spine, to restore proper movement and improve function, designed to reduce inflammation and pain and improve blood flow and nerve supply.

Will I need X-rays or scans before starting chiropractic care?

Most people do not require imaging before starting care. Imaging is only recommended when clinically appropriate, for example if your history or examination suggests it would provide useful information.

Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?

No. Chiropractors are considered primary healthcare providers, meaning you don't need a referral to see one. They are trained to assess, diagnose, and treat musculoskeletal issues, often working alongside other medical professionals.

Does Spirit Chiropractic provide a Medicare bulk billed service?

Yes, Spirit Chiropractic's Medicare services are bulk billed with no gap payment required. A referral from your GP is required for Chronic Disease Management (CDM) or Enhanced Primary Care (EPC).

Dual Monitor Issues?

17 Sept

Written By Silver Esho

It is fine to keep both…

The Dual-Monitor Dilemma: How Twisting Your Neck Sideways All Day Creates Chronic Unilateral Muscle Spasms

By Dr Silver Esho, Spirit Chiropractic, Parramatta NSW · 17 September 2026

Quick summary

Using two monitors increases head-neck rotation by roughly 9° on average and expands rotational range of motion by over 8°, compared with a single screen (Alabdulmohsen et al., 2013).
That extra rotation isn't shared evenly — it drives a one-sided increase in sternocleidomastoid muscle activity on the side you're twisted toward, meaning one side of the neck does more work than the other for hours at a time.
Separate research links asymmetric shoulder/scapular positioning to a higher prevalence of muscle trigger points specifically on the more depressed, more-used side (Aki et al., 2025).
The fix isn't giving up the second monitor — it's centering your primary screen and angling both displays symmetrically so you're not spending most of the day rotated toward one side.

Dual-monitor setups get sold purely as a productivity win, and they are — but almost nobody talks about what happens to your neck when your "main" screen sits off to one side for eight hours a day. It's a genuinely different, more lopsided strain pattern than working at a single centered screen.

What Dual Monitors Actually Do to Your Neck

A controlled study used a motion-capture system and surface EMG to measure head-neck posture and muscle activity in participants performing reading, typing, and search tasks on both single and dual monitor setups. Moving to dual monitors increased head-neck rotation by 9.0° on average and expanded the rotational range of motion by 8.4°. Alongside this, the researchers recorded a "contralateral increase in the activity of the right sternocleidomastoid muscle" — meaning the muscle activity increased specifically on the side associated with the added rotation, not evenly across both sides (Alabdulmohsen et al., 2013). The study's authors concluded that the resulting asymmetrical, more-rotated postures raise the risk of musculoskeletal strain during extended computer work.

Why One-Sided Posture Turns Into One-Sided Pain

This matters beyond the moment-to-moment discomfort. A 2025 study examined the relationship between resting scapular (shoulder blade) asymmetry and the presence of latent myofascial trigger points — the small, tender "knots" in muscle that many people associate with chronic one-sided tightness. Participants who had trigger points on their right side showed a significantly more depressed right scapula than those without, and both dominant-arm use and trigger point presence predicted the degree of asymmetry (Aki et al., 2025). While this study wasn't about monitors specifically, it supports the broader mechanism: sustained, asymmetric muscle loading on one side of the body is associated with a higher likelihood of trigger points developing on that same side.

Put the two findings together and the pattern is intuitive: if your dual-monitor setup has you rotated toward one screen for most of the day, you're providing exactly the kind of sustained one-sided loading linked to localized muscle tightness and spasm on that side.

Fixing the Setup, Not Ditching the Second Screen

Identify your primary screen and centre it directly in front of you — whatever you look at most (usually your main work application) should sit dead ahead, not off to one side.
Angle both monitors symmetrically toward you, forming a shallow "V" centred on your seated position, rather than lining them up flat side by side with one dead-centre and one off to the side.
If one monitor is used far less, consider whether it needs to be a second full monitor at all, or whether an occasional glance at a laptop screen or tablet to the side would reduce sustained rotation.
Use a monitor arm to fine-tune the angle rather than accepting whatever position the stock stand allows — small angle adjustments meaningfully change how much rotation you're holding.
Rotate your chair or take brief breaks to reset posture periodically, rather than staying twisted toward the busier screen for hours uninterrupted.

Dealing with tightness or spasm on one side of your neck?
If one-sided neck or shoulder tightness keeps returning despite adjusting your monitor setup, a chiropractic assessment can check for asymmetry in your posture and movement, and identify what's actually driving the imbalance.

Call Spirit Chiropractic — Parramatta: 0410 420 856

Frequently Asked Questions

Does using two monitors really cause more neck strain than one?

Yes. A controlled study found dual monitor use increased head-neck rotation by about 9 degrees on average and increased muscle activity on the side associated with that rotation, compared to a single screen.

Why does my neck pain feel like it's always on one side?

Sustained, asymmetric posture — such as rotating toward one monitor for most of the day — loads one side of the neck and shoulder more than the other. Research links this kind of asymmetric loading to a higher likelihood of muscle trigger points developing specifically on the more-used side.

How should I angle dual monitors to reduce strain?

Centre your primary screen directly in front of you and angle both monitors symmetrically toward your seated position, forming a shallow V, rather than placing one screen dead ahead and the other off to one side for extended use.

Is a single wide monitor better than dual monitors for posture?

It can reduce the rotational strain linked to a lopsided dual-monitor arrangement, since a single centred screen doesn't require sustained rotation toward one side. If dual monitors are still preferred, symmetrical angling toward the user addresses much of the same issue.

References

Alabdulmohsen, R.T., Etherton, J.R., Guffey, S.E., & Nimbarte, A.D. (2013). The impact of use of dual monitor screens on 3D head-neck posture and activity of neck muscles. IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, 1(1), 38–49. View via CDC Stacks
Aki, Y., Okino, I., Tsuyama, G., et al. (2025). Relationship between the asymmetry of the resting scapular position and the prevalence of latent myofascial trigger points in the trapezius muscle in asymptomatic adults. PLOS ONE, 20(10), e0335268. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0335268

Silver Esho https://spiritchiropractic.au