Tech neck is on the rise. Here’s what all that smartphone usage is really doing to our spines, plus ways to mitigate the effects.

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Do you have occasional neck pain? You’re not alone. In recent years, people have experienced neck pain like never before, and you can thank technology for this fact. All the time we spend looking down at our smartphones and devices has been creating a neck pain epidemic known as tech neck. And it’s not just your neck that this affects. Though the term is coined “tech neck,” the condition doctors are referring to is any form of chronic pain, stiffness or soreness that can be felt in the neck or shoulders. 

What is tech neck?

In proper posture, the human head weighs around 10 to 12 pounds, but bending forward puts more strain on the cervical spine, causing it to feel even heavier – much heavier in fact. Research has shown that bending your neck 15 degrees results in 27 pounds of weight on the neck; 45 degrees, 49 pounds and at 60 degrees, it’s 60 pounds! Experts have equated the latter to having an eight-year-old child sitting on your neck for hours. The average smartphone user is said to spend two to four hours a day hunched over their phones, equating to 700 to 1,400 hours per year!

All this pressure on the neck takes its toll. It can leave your neck and shoulders in a forward posture and can cause spinal degeneration, which in more advanced cases may even require surgery. And in addition to neck and shoulder pain, tech neck can also lead to headaches, numbness and tingling in the neck and a sharp pain when looking down at your devices.

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Managing symptoms of tech neck 

To help improve the symptoms of tech neck, we’ve partnered with Myodetox Clinicians to help our patients find relief. We spoke to Dr. Kayla Hamm, PT, DPT about tips on improving posture, and here is what she had to say. 

Posture is a hot topic with the increase in time spent at our computers and looking at our phones. In order to prevent tension and strain from building up in our bodies, it is crucial that we bring awareness to our daily habits. Here are some of my favorite tips to improve posture and reduce discomfort in the body: 

1. Ensure shoulders are relaxed and elbows are resting comfortably at about 90˚ while working from the computer.
2. Every so often, imagine a string that runs from the top of your head to the ceiling. This “string” should be slightly lifting you up allowing your gaze to be forward and spine to be lengthened. 
3. If you find yourself slumped forward, try rolling up a small towel and placing it behind your lower back. This will create some extension to help lengthen your spine.
4. Try incorporating “movement snacks” throughout the day. This could be anything from getting up and going on a short walk or going through one of your favorite stretches. I’ve included two of my favorite movements that can help prevent “tech neck” and reduce tension for you to try out: 

This first exercise is a favorite of mine as it is easy to do any time, any place. The seated chin tuck helps to strengthen the muscles in the front of the neck that often get over lengthened due to prolonged time spent at the desk or looking down at a phone. 

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Seated Chin Tuck 

1. Sit Up Tall: Find a comfortable chair, with your feet flat on the ground, and eyes straight ahead. 
2. Chin Tuck: Gently tuck your chin towards your chest, creating a slight “double chin”. You should feel the back of your neck lengthen and the muscles in front of your neck contract. 
3. Hold: Maintain this position for about 5 seconds, working up to 10 seconds as tolerated. 
4. Release: Slowly return to the starting position.
5. Repeat: Aim to complete about 10 repetitions, working your way up to 15. 
6. This next exercise will aim to reduce tension in the spine and open up the muscles along the front of the chest. As we all know, hours can go by before changing position when we are in deep work. Taking just a few minutes to complete this movement will not only relieve any built-up tension in the spine, but also help us reset our posture as we continue on with our day.

Seated Cat Cow with Chest Opener 

1. Sit Up Tall: Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your eyes straight ahead. Rest your hands on your knees.
2. Begin with “Cat Pose”: Begin to round your back, tucking your chin towards your chest, and drawing your belly button in towards your spine. 
3. Move to “Cow Pose”: Next, begin to lift your chest, allowing your eyes to gaze up towards the ceiling. Picture each spinal segment lengthening from your tailbone to the back of your head. 
4. Add the Chest Opener: While in Cow Pose, open your arms out to the side with palms facing forward. Gently press the back of your hands behind you for a full breath to help open up the chest..

Repeat: Move between these two positions for about 8-10 repetitions.

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If you find yourself experiencing discomfort often or are starting to notice changes in your posture, learn more from the Myodetox Clinician. Your session will include a comprehensive assessment and personal plan, including manual therapy and exercises to address any concerns you may have. You can book your appointment at Myodetox here. 

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How to avoid tech neck

Many of us whip out our phones and devices without paying any attention to our head and neck alignment when using them. Continuing this habit can lead to a lifetime of chronic neck pain. But a few tiny lifestyle changes can go a long way in helping to ward off this condition. Here are a few ways to keep your posture rocking and neck pain-free:

Look down at your devices with your eyes, not your neck: Instead of bending your neck over your phone, practice holding it up near eye level and moving your eyes down to look at the screen. This avoids that forward head posture that most of us default to when using our devices. 

Keep your neck in a neutral position: Make a point of practicing good posture and keeping your neck centered directly over your shoulders. Whenever you see your reflection, take a moment to take inventory to make sure you have your neck in the proper position. 

Don’t lean forward on the computer: Sit back straight in a chair with your head, hips and spine stacked. If your monitor is too low, try propping it up or using a taller external monitor so you don’t have to look down at your computer. Use a desk that is the proper height for you and invest in an ergonomic chair to put you in the proper posture for sitting.

Read smarter: Do you ever pass by the park and see someone sitting on a bench with their neck hunched over a book? Reading with improper posture can cause tech neck in the same way that smartphone usage can. Hold your book up to eye level or invest in a book stand that places your book in a position where you can look at it straight instead of looking down.

Cut down on your social media usage: The less you use your phone, the less opportunities you’ll have to develop tech neck. Chances are, you’re holding your phone more than you think you are – one survey found that Americans check their phones a whopping 144 times a day! Set boundaries with social media by scheduling time to check it several times a day and avoiding grabbing your device just because you’re bored. Cutting back is not only good for your posture but can also reduce your anxiety levels as well!

Keep tabs on your neck: A Prenuvo scan can assess your entire cervical spine, checking to see if you have any structural abnormalities or disc degeneration. This can create a helpful baseline for you to compare future tests and track any changes in your posture. Tech neck, if caught early, can often be treated with physical therapy, stretching, and over-the-counter pain relievers. Mild cases are said to take weeks or months to heal. But if you wait too long, tech neck may advance into more long-term chronic pain, making treatment more complicated and maybe even requiring surgical interventions. 

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Tech neck is just one of the hundreds of conditions that Prenuvo can detect before symptoms arise. A one-hour scan can check for everything from tumors to fatty liver disease, aneurysms, stage 1 cancers, spine degeneration and more. Plus, unlike other scans, Prenuvo is radiation-free and uses no contrasts or dyes. Find out more about Prenuvo and book your scan today.

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