Correcting Tech Neck

Our technology is great, but it comes with certain costs. One of those is the health of our cervical spine and our overall posture. Each and every one of us is guilty of holding our tablets, phones or other mobile devices such as wearables, laptops and gaming systems down low and craning our neck to look at the screen. This affects everything from hormone production to balance and eventually serious injuries which may require surgery to correct. Today we'll discuss what we can do to fight this new wellness battle.

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WHAT IS TECH NECK?

"Tech neck" is the layman's term used to describe the consequences of long-term forward-leaning flexion of your head and neck while looking down at your phone, tablet or other device. It can cause muscle strain, disc injury, nerve impingement and arthritic changes in your neck -- as well as the development of added neck wrinkles, continual neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and shooting pain down your arms. 

The average human head weighs 10-12 pounds, but according to one study, with the head tilted 15 degrees forward the effect of the head's weight is equal to 27 pounds. By the time you tilt your head to 60 degrees, that effect shoots up to 60 pounds. As that weight increases and the spin falls out of alignment and extra pressure is placed on the spine. This will trigger neck pain, herniated discs, and in more serious cases surgery may be required.

Correct posture has been linked to​ increases in testosterone (male hormone), decreases in cortisol (stress hormone), and increased feelings of power and comfort with risk-taking. In short, our posture affects us in many different ways and fixing postural imbalances should be a priority especially in our primarily sedentary, tech-driven society.

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TREATMENT

All of us have some degree of tech neck, due to the culture we live in. First, let's talk about ameliorating the symptoms we have:

I covered many neck and shoulder stretches and exercises in my prior article, Stretching & Strengthening for Computer Users. As applicable, I will indicate below when details of the stretch/exercise can be found in that article.

• CHIN TUCK: Found in my prior article, described as 'back of neck stretch.'
• NECK EXTENSION & SIDE NECK STRETCH: Found in my prior article, described as 'head tilts.' For a more intense stretch, press gently on your forehead when looking up at the ceiling and hold for 20 seconds; repeat 5 times. Do this twice a day. As regards side neck stretch, do not press on your head or contract your neck muscles; allow gravity to do the work for you.
• UPRIGHT CHEST LIFT: Found in my prior article, described as 'chest butterflies.' Lean your head back to look up at the ceiling for additional neck stretch.
• YWTLs: Perform these standing up.
  • "Y": Extend your arms straight up, stretching fingertips toward the ceiling and rotation your wrists so your thumbs are pointed at the wall behind you. Hold for 30 seconds.
  • "W": Drop both upper arms to the left and right so they are parallel to the floor, elbows at 90 degrees, with your fingers still pointing up and your thumbs pointing behind you. (You’ll form a human goal post.) Contract your upper-back muscles. Hold for 30 seconds.
  • “T”: Drop your lower arms so your fingertips are pointing to the walls on either side of you, rotating your wrists so your thumbs are still pointing behind you. Hold for 30 seconds.
  • “L”: Drop your upper arms to your sides, bend your elbows 90 degrees, and contract the muscles between your shoulder blades to reach your thumbs back towards the wall behind you, keeping your palms facing up. Hold for 30 seconds.
• DOORJAMB POSTURE ASSESSMENT/STRETCH: Standing in a doorway, position yourself two feet from the frame but with your pelvis and upper spine touching the doorjamb. The back of your head should also touch the jamb—if it doesn’t, position a folded-up towel between your head and the jamb. Reach your arms forward at shoulder height, palms down. Bend your elbows. Hold for 60 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times a day.​
• YOGA: Check out Yoga Journal's article on poses to counteract tech neck.
  

As regards the damage to the skin itself, dermatologists recommend that you exfoliate your chest and neck once a week using a mask, mild scrub or peel. You may also use neck rejuvenation patches, which are made by a variety of companies to reduce wrinkling and skin damage.

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PREVENTION

You likely already suffer the effects of tech neck, but in order to truly correct it, you will need to engage not only with treatment methods, but also take preventative measures to ensure you don't exacerbate the condition. Here are some things you can do in order to maintain proper cervical spine health:

• SET TIME LIMITS: Limit the amount of time and frequency that you use your device(s). If you have to use it for extended amounts of time due to work etc, take breaks. Develop a habit of taking a 3-minute break for every 15-20 minutes you use your device and while using it, change your posture and move around. Check out this article for tips on improving posture and ergonomics.
• SET AUTOMATIC REMINDERS: This is getting easier with apps on phones and built into some websites such as Facebook. Use an automatic alarm with your smart device to remind you to take time out.
• DOWNLOAD POSTURE APPS: There are apps available that track your posture based on the tilt angle of your phone and provide real-time feedback while others walk you through stretches to strengthen your neck muscles. Some you may want to check out include Text Neck Indicator, Simply Align, and Posture.
• USE A TABLET HOLDER: Use a holder to elevate your device to significantly reduce the amount of neck flexion and forward positioning. Try to keep the device as close to eye-level as possible.
• KEEP YOUR MONITOR AT EYE LEVEL: Even your PC's monitor can cause tech neck, unless you keep it set at eye level. Also consider a standing desk, which helps with posture and movement and can help reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
• HOLD YOUR PHONE IN THE PROPER POSITION TO TEXT: We most often hold our phones down low, which is why our necks are constantly in flexion. The proper positioning for texting is to hold the phone at eye-level, as with the tablet holder mentioned above.​

• STAND UP STRAIGHT: Good posture (chin tucked and shoulders rolled back and down) keeps the body aligned and in neutral position.
• USE YOUR INDEX FINGER TO TEXT RATHER THAN YOUR THUMB: This causes less strain down your arms.
• USE VOICE COMMANDS: Rather than texting, use voice commands so that you reduce how often you need to look at your screen. Check out these complete lists of commands for 'OK, Google', Siri and Cortana.
• SPREAD OUT YOUR SCREEN TIME: Rather than waiting until the end of the day to cram all of your digital tasks in, set reminders on your smart device(s) for certain intervals throughout the day, so that you avoid consecutive hours of electronic work.
• ARCH AND STRETCH: Arching the neck and upper back backward periodically will help ease muscle pain.
• SIT IN A CHAIR WITH A HEADREST: ...and make sure the back of your head is flush against the headrest. This will ensure you're not flexing your neck.
• STAY HYDRATED: Yes, hydration plays a part in this, too. Because the disks in the spine consist largely of water, frequent hydration is critical in preventing tech neck and keeping disks healthy and pliable.
• EXERCISE REGULARLY: The stronger and more flexible your neck and back are, the less likely they will become strained.
• USE PAIN AS A WARNING: If you have pain in your neck, between the shoulder blades, frequent headaches or numbness/tingling in your arms, you may have a more serious issue to address. Pay attention to these warning signs and act quickly to make changes to reduce or eliminate neck strain.

If all of the above steps have been taken and your pain is still a problem, seek help from a qualified medical professional.