The Pain of Tech Neck

Do you spend most of the day hunched over staring at the screen of your smartphone or tablet? Do your shoulders, neck and upper back often feel stiff by the end of a busy day?

You may be suffering from a condition colloquially known as Tech Neck.

“Tech Neck, as it is known refers to the strain in your neck and shoulder muscles that develops as a result from excessively craning your neck down when you are looking at a phone or a portable tablet device.”

Did you know… There are ways you can limit the amount of time we spend hunched over a screen, these include:

For every 15 – 20 minutes you spend on your device you should take a 3 minute break.
Limit yourselves to periods of 15 – 20 minutes where possible
Rather than hunching forward to look at your screen, sit up straight and bring your phone or tablet up to eye level

Making sure you’ve got the right posture can also be crucial.

For most people, the computer screen is located below your natural eye line leaving your head and shoulders to naturally hunch downwards. By raising your computer screen to your eye level you will force yourself to keep your head in a more natural position.

Chiropractors also advise to do some small stretches to relieve the tension in your upper body. Bend your neck to the right so that your ear moves closer to your shoulder. Relax and hold for 20 seconds. Return to centre, and then repeat the move to the left. Do a repetition of five. A further exercise is to do a simple chin tuck. Tilt your head down and tuck your chin into your neck. Hold for five seconds, and then look back up. Do a repetition of ten. These exercises will help release any tension that might be created due to excessive strain from hunching over.

Make sure to listen to your body. If you have any aches and pains in your neck, shoulders and upper back, it usually means something is not working properly. If in doubt, contact your chiropractor!