A Proper Pain in the Neck - How ‘Tech-Neck’ Can Be Treated Tech-neck, sometimes referred to as text-neck, is a newly coined phrase in the media - but it’s a problem that has threatened to become an epidemic for many years now & the resulting effects of it are now showing more & more in my Sports Massage Clinic in Doncaster.
But what is it? In 2023 people are spending, on average, five hours a day on their mobile phones. Even more hours in addition are spent at laptops, computers & other screen based devices. This is massively impacting on people’s posture, due to constantly looking down. And don’t underestimate the damage looking down repeatedly can do. The average head weighs little more than 4kg but, bending it forwards to a 45 degree angle can increase the load in your neck to 22kg. That’s more than 5 times the typical load it should be experiencing.
The impact? The integration of technology into our daily lives is causing an intense repetitive strain on our bones, nerves & muscles. Doctors and other medical professionals are seeing a rise in muscle stiffness, joint inflammation, pinched nerves, arthritis, bone spurs & herniated discs. This is all centred around the neck, shoulders & spine - and it’s not very pleasant to experience at all! So what’s the answer? Well, there’s no escaping technology & I’m not here to tell you to stop scrolling on Tik-Tok. But we do need to encourage better phone/tech habits before pain starts happening!
- Raise your phone closer to eye level
- Stand/Sit up straight
- Take frequent tech-breaks
- Arch the neck and upper back backwards for a good stretch periodically