Today’s technology makes it difficult to tear yourself away from the TV, cellphone, or computer, which has various detrimental effects on your health. One way technology affects your life is through your posture.
Chronic neck pain from leaning your head forward to type or text is known as tech neck. It’s a real problem that starts at a young age and may lead to chronic changes in the spine. The good news is that it's entirely preventable with some easy changes in your tech usage.
At the Spine and Orthopedic Center of New Mexico, located in Roswell, New Mexico, our team specializes in various orthopedic issues, including problems that come from tech neck.
Dr. Omar Osmani is our orthopedic surgeon who offers physical therapy and interventional pain management for issues that tech neck creates.
Tech neck, or text neck, occurs when you tilt your head forward while using electronics. Cell phones, tablets, laptops, or handheld gaming devices can easily cause tech neck.
Pain is the main symptom of tech neck, usually in the neck and upper back. It happens from continuous strain on the muscles around the neck from looking down for long periods. It leads to other symptoms as well, including:
Tech neck is prone to kids, teens, and young adults, but it can happen to anyone. The muscles strain while trying to hold the head in an awkward position, changing posture over time and causing further pain in the spine.
Tech neck doesn’t resolve quickly—in fact, it can lead to severe complications in the spine. These issues arise when the neck muscles elongate and the chest muscles shorten, causing you to hunch over.
Over time, the hunched posture causes shoulder and neck misalignment and increases pressure on the neck. Without changing your posture, tech neck can lead to other complications, including:
Although tech neck affects the upper back and neck muscles, it can spread to the shoulders, arms, and lower back. These issues worsen if you continue using your electronics and improve your overall posture.
The excellent news about tech neck is that you can take specific steps to stop it or prevent it from worsening. The tips Dr. Osmani recommends to combat tech neck include:
It's easy to get carried away looking at your phone or playing games on a tablet – but all that time adds up and causes real problems in the body.
The best thing you can do is limit screen and electronic time and get up and moving. Limit yourself to a specific goal, like an hour, and then get up and move around, stretch, or exercise to loosen the muscles and prevent strain on your body.
A common problem with texting or looking at a device in your lap is that your shoulders roll forward, straining the neck and shoulder muscles. Over time, that strain leads to a painful tech neck.
One thing you can do is to roll your shoulders back, which prevents slouching forward and straining essential muscles.
Poor posture is the main culprit behind tech neck, which occurs when the neck bends forward to look at electronics. To fight off chronic pain and tech neck, practice good posture while sitting and standing. Keep your spine aligned and avoid slouching, especially when sitting for long periods.
Take breaks to stretch when you need to concentrate on your phone or tablet for long periods. Stiff muscles happen with long periods of sitting in the same position – but stretching creates movement and blood flow, which helps fight chronic pain from tech neck.
If you're used to using your computer sitting down, try using a standing desk to improve your posture. You can switch from sitting to standing throughout the day to keep moving and prevent your muscles from tensing up.
If you don't have a standing desk, you can use a tall counter or anything at the proper height where you don't have to look down. The screen should be close to eye level so you're not straining your neck.
Call the Spine and Orthopedic Center of New Mexico today to schedule an appointment for neck or back pain, or you may request a consultation on our website.
