Avoid Tech Neck – Tips to Alleviate Pain and Muscle Tension

Whether you’re working from home or at the office, it’s possible you may be dealing with a condition called “tech neck.” Tech neck (also known as text neck) is a condition that’s caused by repetitive strain and/or injury to the muscles and other tissues of the cervical spine.

How does this happen? Consider all the time you spend in front of a screen each day. Think of all the screens you use—everything from smartphones and tablets to computers and video games uses a screen. With all the hours spent in front of screens, is it any wonder that many of us suffer neck problems?

Working on a computer may mean you’re hunched over for hours at a time. Reading things on a small smartphone screen may also cause your neck to be bent at uncomfortable angles. All of this adds up over time, leading to tech neck.

If you find that you’re experiencing tech neck, there are some things you can do to relieve and improve this condition.

Symptoms of Tech Neck

You may find yourself experiencing these symptoms if you have tech neck:

• Aching in the lower back, neck, shoulders, and upper back.
• Headaches are triggered when neck muscles spasm.
• Sharp, possibly stabbing pain that is mostly in one spot. Or you may experience pain and achiness across your entire upper back and neck areas.
• You may find it harder to move your neck, and your shoulders may become rounded.
• Tingling/numbness in your arms and hands.
• Tension throughout your body.
• Eye strain.

Not many people realise how much their head weighs. Your neck has to hold about 10-12 lbs of weight. That’s quite a bit! When your head is bent, like when you’re hunching over a laptop, your neck has to compensate. This causes increased tension on the structures and ligaments in your neck, leading to pain, irritation of nerves, and more. In addition, when this is done on a regular basis, your neck can suffer permanent damage.

We don’t want to make you feel worse by pointing out things you may not have realised. However, it’s important to pay attention to these symptoms and then take the right actions to alleviate tech neck.

How to Fix Tech Neck

The good news is that you can do things to alleviate and fix that pain in your neck and upper back!

1). Use Ergonomic Furniture

Ergonomic furniture works to keep your body properly aligned when working. You’ll find a wide range of furniture such as standing desks, chairs, and more to create a healthier, ergonomic workstation. Even alternating between standing and sitting can make a huge difference to your neck.

Even if you don’t have a standing desk, don’t worry. You can still get relief from tech neck by getting up and moving around about once an hour. Walking, doing stretch exercises, and more can help your body get the relief it needs.

2). Adjusting Your Workstation

It’s also helpful to make some adjustments to your workstation. For instance, the top of your laptop or computer monitor should be at about eye level. This keeps your neck and shoulders from hunching over the screen for long hours.

An adjustable monitor is a huge help when it comes to easing tech neck. If your monitor’s not adjustable, then consider adding a monitor stand or riser to ensure the monitor is at the right height. And remember to position the monitor about 20 inches (51 cm) away from your body.

An ergonomic chair is one that’s adjustable. It keeps your thighs parallel to the floor, with your feet flat on the floor. If your feet are still not flat on the floor, then consider investing in a footrest. A footrest will keep your feet and legs in the right position, which means improved posture.

In addition, your keyboard needs to be at elbow height, with forearms parallel to the floor. Your wrists should be flat and straight, with elbows close to your sides.

3). Sit Up Straight

Sitting up straight is essential to keeping your body in correct alignment when sitting or standing. Tech neck and other disorders can be caused by sitting too long hunched over a screen. When you slouch, your muscles are tense and strained, leading to pain.

So, when sitting or standing at your desk, make sure you’re sitting up straight. Avoid hunching over your keyboard or desk.

4). Maintain Proper Alignment

Maintaining proper alignment goes along with ensuring you’re also properly aligned when working. Sitting for long hours has a disastrous effect on the body. For instance, sitting causes some muscles in the hip flexors to relax. This causes the muscles to become shorter and weaker over time. The result is pain.

Having an ergonomic setup is essential, as is ensuring you’re sitting with your body properly aligned. This means keeping your feet aligned with your pelvis, as well as keeping your spine straight.

5). Stretching Exercises

Yoga exercises and stretching can strengthen and stretch shoulder, back, and neck muscles. What’s more, getting regular exercise also helps.

Whether you choose to take walks, play sports, or spend time at the gym, exercise is a great way to keep muscles stretched, strong, and healthy.

6). Seeking Professional Care for Tech Neck

If you aren’t able to relieve tech neck through these methods, then it may be time to seek professional care. You should definitely seek professional care for your neck pain if you experience the following:

• Severe or worsening pain/headaches
• Weakness, numbness, loss of feeling, tingling in arms and hands
• Pain that keeps you awake at night

The first place to start is with your general practitioner. They will be able to determine whether or not you may need physical therapy or see a specialist for your neck pain.

Summing It Up

When there’s pain in your neck and other areas of the body, it’s more than just uncomfortable. Tech neck can cause permanent changes, which cause other health problems. So, be sure to take tech neck seriously and start doing something about it today!