AKA Nerd Neck
If you’ve ever wondered “Why is there tightness in the front of my neck,” “Why does my neck hurt when I look up,” or “Why does the back of my neck hurt when I wake up,” the pain could be attributed to tech neck which has caused a sore upper back or sore neck. This post is written to explain tech neck or nerd neck, a common issue in modern society.
Modern society has modern requirements. Cell phone and laptop/computer/tablet use are pervasive, and most people don’t give high regard to the body position in which these devices are used. This posture probably didn’t happen overnight for most people. It’s hard to be aware and mindful of these postural changes that gradually occur, and nobody realizes the damage until it’s too late.
WHAT IS TECH NECK?
- Forward head posture, also known as tech neck or nerd neck, refers to a posture where your neck juts forward and rests an inch or more in front of the first neck vertebra.
Image taken from: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/20/365473750/keep-your-head-up-text-neck-can-take-a-toll-on-the-spine
- The human head weighs around eight pounds—every inch forward the head protrudes increases the force on your neck and upper back by more than 10 pounds! In the image above, the rightmost image of the person reading on a phone (with their neck leaned forward) applies force of nearly 60 pounds to their neck and upper back. This could create tension in your neck and consistent neck tightness and pain.
- People spend an average of 2-4 hours a day with their head tilted and necks forward to use their smartphones and electronic devices
- This could add up to more than 1000 hours per year of extra stress on an adult
- High school students could spend more than 5000 hours in these positions, prematurely degrading their musculoskeletal system and affecting other growth processes
TECH NECK aka NERD NECK SYMPTOMS:
There are a lot of symptoms that could arise from tech neck – the most visible indicator of this condition will be a forward jutting neck, visible from a side profile shot of the head posture as seen below:
Image taken from: https://nonsurgicalspinalcare.com.au/news/tech-neck-what-is-it-and-how-to-avoid-it/
- Tech Neck Dizziness and Tech Neck Pain
- Short term effects include hunched shoulders, rolled shoulders and a sore upper back. This could result in chronic fatigue and tightness in the affected region.
- Muscular weakness
- Shoulder muscles and upper back muscles will be extremely weak. Exercises to fix rounded shoulders and a weak upper back will be covered later
- In some instances, the left side of neck tight or the right side of neck tight. Either way, there will be tension in your neck and occasional neck tightness and pain.
- In addition to neck painful, a dull aching (or sometimes sharp) pain could also radiate to the shoulders and arms. There should not be a severe pain in your upper back.
- Chronic effects of tech neck
- Bulging Disks, Osteoporosis, Impaired breathing, and more
Problems of tech neck are further worsened through bad sitting posture; a future post will cover ergonomics and how to sit properly.
TECH NECK: HOW TO FIX TECH NECK AND CORRECT YOUR HEAD’S POSTURE
Long story short, to get rid of tech neck/forward head posture, the big key is stretching! In addition to stretching the weakened/inactive muscles, you must also do exercises to strengthen muscles in the neck and do exercises to strengthen muscles in the upper back—this serves to take pressure off of the overworked muscles on the front side of your body and bring your neck and head backwards and in line with the rest of your body. You need to do exercises to strengthen muscles, especially exercises for the neck and exercises for the upper back that help take pressure off overworked muscles on the front side of your body. General lifestyle issues must be also accounted for, and it would be useful to avoid excessive use of devices, and take breaks often.
STRETCHING FOR TECH NECK AND FORWARD HEAD POSTURE
Try the following 3 stretches when stretching for tech neck.
- Chin Tucks
- Sit upright and look straight ahead. Relax
- Gently glide your chin backwards, as if a string was pulling at the back of your skull. It’s a small movement, not very noticeable
- Hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 5 times
- Chest Opening
- Sit or stand, clasping hands behind your head. Relax
- Open elbows out to the side, and squeeze your shoulder blades back until a stretch is felt in the front of your body.
- Hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 5 times
- Scapula Wall Slide
- Start with your elbows in line with your shoulder
- Bring your elbows as low as possible without arching the lower back
- Hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times
- Performing scapular retraction exercises will help engage and activate the muscles in your upper back and shoulders to reduce rounded shoulders and take some load off your anterior chain
To prevent tech neck in the future, develop back muscles and strengthen your posterior chain. This will also contribute to better back posture and reduce horrible posture that causes a sore upper back . Sometimes, tech neck is also worsened through improper breathing (use your diaphragm!)
A useful tool to help provide pain relief along with your corrective exercises is a neck and upper back massager. We’ve heard good reviews about MyNeckRelaxer’s Smart Neck Massager. Check it out by clicking the text here. Using the coupon code PARDONMYPOSTURE gives you a 10% discount. (Note: We receive affiliate commissions if you purchase, at ZERO extra cost to you)
Correcting posture, and fixing tech neck, is not a difficult thing to do. By doing these stretches, multiple times a week, it’s possible to see significant improvements in not just your neck position and posture, but your mental health and general well-being. The best position for neck pain is to be in a position where there is none. Consistency and preventive efforts are key, and will prevent issues related to tech neck and forward head posture in the future!
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References:
https://share.upmc.com/2018/12/what-the-heck-is-text-neck/
https://nonsurgicalspinalcare.com.au/news/tech-neck-what-is-it-and-how-to-avoid-it/
https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/chin-tuck-posture-and-strength#
Jung SI, Lee NK, Kang KW, Kim K, Lee DY. The effect of smartphone usage time on posture and respiratory function. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(1):186-189. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.186
Koseki T, Kakizaki F, Hayashi S, Nishida N, Itoh M. Effect of forward head posture on thoracic shape and respiratory function. J Phys Ther Sci. 2019;31(1):63-68. doi:10.1589/jpts.31.63
Zafar H, Albarrati A, Alghadir AH, Iqbal ZA. Effect of Different Head-Neck Postures on the Respiratory Function in Healthy Males. Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:4518269. Published 2018 Jul 12. doi:10.1155/2018/4518269
Mahmoud NF, Hassan KA, Abdelmajeed SF, Moustafa IM, Silva AG. The Relationship Between Forward Head Posture and Neck Pain: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2019 Dec;12(4):562-577. doi: 10.1007/s12178-019-09594-y. PMID: 31773477; PMCID: PMC6942109.
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