Can Oculus Cause Neck Pain? [Read This Now! 2024]

It’s an open secret that using VR headsets for longer than usual can cause unbearable pain in your neck, right? Today’s generation is hugely a victim of this physical disorder.

Being a VR developer, most of my time flies with putting the VR headset on my head and verifying the programs. I have tried most of the headsets available in the market, and I know their benefits and flaws.

In this article, I am going to share the experience of using Oculus headsets and the effects on your health for using VR headsets for a long time.

So, let’s start with answering your initial question,

Can Oculus cause neck pain?

Do you want to know more about this topic and how to get rid of the neck suffering? Continue reading the following parts. It will help you to understand more.

Here’s a complete guide to know the difference between Gear VR vs Oculus Quest

Does your Neck Hurt for Using Oculus Headset?

Neck pain can be caused for several reasons. Using any headset with an extra bit of weight may be considered one of them. If you are exploring the virtual world with a VR that can be made by any developer, not just for the Oculus, the neck ache can show up.

I have used VR from different developers. And guess what? Using them for subsequent hours hurt my neck, made me nauseous, and so on.

In this section, I will be explaining the actual facts behind the neck pain for using VR headsets. Stick with me to get a better understanding.

Here are the possible reasons why your neck hurts from using the Oculus headset:

• Centered Viewing Angle: If you concentrate on the viewing angle of your Oculus headset, you will be amazed to find that the VR captivates you to look at a certain point for a long time. Even if you think you are moving according to the viewing angle, you keep your head straight most of the time. This process makes your cervical spine (neck spine) remain at a certain point and lead to injuries.Research shows that keeping your head between 15 to 30 degrees of your eye level can ease this viewing angle issue.

• Weight of the Headset: Do you know the average weight of your VR headset? The most common weight of a virtual reality headset is 400- 500 grams. ( 0.90- 1.1 lb). And that is without the additional straps. If you are using Oculus quest 2, it is 465 grams, to be exact (with batteries). Imagine carrying a half kilogram weighted book on top of your head and sitting with it for a couple of hours. That’s what you do every day. So, neck pain can be considered a simple outcome. Right?
• Mismatched Headstrpas: If you are using your Oculus headset with a strap that has been added later, chances are the strap won’t get matched with your head. It not only won’t ruin your comfortability but also can make your headache and the following neck pain. Selecting the most comfortable strap will save you from the problem.
• Sudden Movement: Imagine yourself carrying about one pound strapped to your head and sitting in a certain position for an extended period of time and all of a sudden, you move your head to 60 degrees from a direct angle. That creates a lot of pressure, right? That immense pressure triggers neck injuries. Hence: you feel pain in your neck after removing the headset.

These are the most common reasons behind your Oculus headset causes neck pain. Improving the situation with proper caution will help you from the suffering.

If you are in search of getting rid of the neck situation caused for your Oculus headset, try reading the following parts. I can assure you, you will feel much better after implementing those tricks.

Have some time to spare? Quickly check out our epic guide on how to Fix a Blurry VR Headset.

How to Solve Oculus Causing my Neck Pain

Emptying the bottle of pain killer and neck ache tend to come back? If the answer is yes then this part is totally for you. As the neck pain is caused for using the Oculus headset you need to take the necessary steps to overcome the situation.

If you have used any other VR rather than Oculus, you know Oculus headsets are front heavy. The headsets are built that way, which urges your head to bend a little lower, making your neck stifled. To combat this issue, you need to focus on some criteria while using the VR.

Here’s a complete guide on how to Make VRChat Fullscreen.

Here are the methods you can follow if you want to overcome the neck pain:

1. Balance the Weight of the Headset

As I mentioned earlier, Oculus headsets are built front heavy. Sometimes, it feels like drawing your head forward. In order to avoid this, you must balance the weight management. I managed to use a simple trick to overcome this, and I will describe it with a few steps. Follow if you want to eradicate the weight issue.

Here are the steps to balance the weight:

• Attach a metal ring ( more like a key-chain ring) to the back of your headset’s strap.
• Tie up the metal ring with two sets of plastic laces or shoelaces.
• Attach both of the laces with your belt. ( You can tie them with your pant’s belt loops).
• Tighten up a little bit.

I know this may sound lame. But, believe me, this home remedy helped me a lot with the front heavy Oculus quest 2. Adding these extra cords helps you to counter weight the VR headset and balance the pressure. Just try it once, and you will love the outcome.

2. Give yourself Some Rest

The best way to avoid neck pain is to give yourself some rest from using the VR. You know the effects of using a VR headset for a long time. Try using it by maintaining time frame. I used to set an alarm of 50 minutes. After the alarm goes off, I would put off the headset, exercise a little bit, then after a few minutes I would continue the work.

You can perform the same steps. Determine a certain time for using the VR unless it is the only thing you can do. Take a five-minute break from the VR, walk around a little. Move your neck to get rid of the load. Stretch your neck for at least two minutes Try nodding your head, do some eye moving exercises. You will feel much better.

This resting procedure will also increase your productivity. You know it’s always better to take a break instead of working for a long time.

Follow our guide to know how to Uninstall Steam VR.

3. Adjust your Posture

Sometimes, the neck pain starts to increase only because of bad posture. We tend to bend a little bit forward while playing virtual reality games or even do something simple on the computer.

This carving sitting/ standing position can cause a neck ache. So, try sitting with a good posture. It may seem impossible while playing on VR but you can improve it by practicing a lot. Adjust your exact height to your Oculus headset and try to maintain the height level. Whenever you feel you are curving forward, take a break and start the work later.

These are the home remedies you can work on to get rid off the neck pain. Another measure you can apply is to avoid moving your head in a hurry. That can injure you in a serious manner. I know that takes a lot but considering the option will be much helpful for you.

Check out our separate post on how to Focus VR Headset

Conclusion

The last thing I would like to add is, VR may be the future of technological advancement but it is not everything. Overuse of the VR headsets can hurt you in real life.

To conclude, we can say, using VR headsets for a long time can cause you neck pain. It is true for every other VR headset available, not only applicable to Oculus headsets. With the proper method of usage, you can avoid serious injury.

If you face any difficulties understanding any term of this article, feel free to comment below. I will help you at the earliest.