What is tech neck and how you can treat it?

You see tech neck everywhere — in homes, offices, walking down the street, riding public transportation, and even standing somewhere. Tech neck refers to the act of stressing your muscle while using phones, tablets, and computers. It results in neck and shoulder pain, stiffness, and soreness. And, it’s a problem that has started getting worse.

So, what is tech neck?

We spend too much time looking down at our devices made experts coin the term. When we work on a computer or aimlessly scroll on our phones, the muscles in the back of our necks have to contract to hold our heads up. The more we look down, the more muscles we have to work to keep our heads up. These muscles become overly tired and sore. And, that’s how tech necks happen.

Most of us sit up straight when working on a computer. However, when you sit with your back straight, it puts a lot of force on the discs in your lower back. So, if we sit up straight for hours, we may end up with both back and neck pain. So, experts actually recommend that we should recline at least 25 to 30 degrees to lean back. Good lumbar support will keep backs arched, lessening the weight on the discs.

Symptoms of tech neck:

Steven Kauf is a doctor of chiropractic and executive director of chiropractic and compliance at The Joint Chiropractic in Scottsdale, Arizona. He notes that those who are in their forties or fifties might notice that they develop a curvature or bending of the spine at the base of their necks. He, then, describes this as a sure sign of chronic misalignment. He, then, lists down other symptoms of tech neck:

Headaches
Upper back tension
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems or pain or dysfunction in the jaw joints and muscles
Tingling or numbness in the hands
Weakness in the hands
Rotator cuff tendonitis

So, how can you treat it?

Neck stretches

Stretching helps improve the range of motion and ease tension in the neck. You can practice side-by-side bends by bringing your ear toward your shoulder and holding it for five to ten seconds on each side. After completing a few reps, move on to forward and backward bends. Lower your chin to your chest and hold it there for five to ten seconds. Then, repeat.

Chin tucks

Start standing or sitting with your spine straight. Draw your head straight back like you’re making a double chin. This offsets the effects of constantly thrusting your head forward. Make sure to tilt your head back when doing this and keep your chin tucked, but still parallel to the floor. Hold it for five to ten seconds and release. Make a few reps for better results.

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Use a standing desk or a laptop stand

Think about the hours you spend hunched over your computer at work every single day. This is why experts recommend using a standing desk or laptop stand to prevent tech neck. Without using a laptop stand, you will notice you start to adopt a slouching posture. This, then, increases tech neck. A laptop stand will also give you a more upright posture by bringing the monitor up to eye level. This reduces the risk of forward head posture.

Time limits.

If you have a smartwatch, there are time-to-stand alerts. Although these notifications can be annoying, they serve as an important reminder to take breaks throughout the day. If you don’t have a smartwatch, on the other hand, you can put an alarm on your phone to create your own time-to-stand alerts. Try setting timers for 45-60 minutes at a time and take short breaks in between. That way, you can give both your brain and your neck a much-needed break from the stress of technology. Take a breather, do simple stretches, and reset your posture to release build-up in your body.

Reduce device usage.

It’s so hard to do this because we all get our information from our phones and work on our computers. But, this is exactly the reason why tech neck is a modern-day ailment. Technology has infiltrated so much of our daily lives. And, it can be physically and mentally helpful to take time away from our devices. Adopt hobbies that don’t include looking down and cutting back on the number of hours you spend looking down at your devices.