Say goodbye to tech neck:
We use them to stay connected to family and friends, get information in seconds and tap our way through our favorite music, news, social pages, sports stats and recipe sites. We also use them to keep our personal and work appointments organized.
But, with all our tech device touch points each day, there’s a very real and painful side effect.
Studies show that we’re spending too much time hunched over our devices, creating tech neck, also called “text neck.”
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What is tech neck?
Tech neck is a term used to describe the neck pain that has become increasingly more common due to our overuse of technology.
It’s caused by the strain on the neck from looking down at our phones and tablets for long periods of time.
This strain can cause pain, stiffness and even limited range of motion. It’s becoming increasingly more common in younger generations due to the amount of time they spend on their devices.
Side effects of spending too much time on your phone
The yearly climb in how many hours US adults – and kids – spend on their mobile phones, feature phones and tablets will reach 4 hours, 39 minutes per day in 2024.
– research from Statista
The side effects of spending too much time on your phone can range from mild discomfort to severe pain and stiffness.
The most common side effects include:
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Headaches
- Poor posture
Other side effects can include numbness and tingling in the arms and hands, as well as blurred vision.
It’s not something we think about often, but the human head is between 10 and 12 pounds – which is equivalent to a bowling ball. When you lean your head down, the lower the angle, the more pressure and strain that’s put on the head. That can feel like 10 bowling balls.
5 essential exercises for tech neck:
Chin retraction
Hunched over, staring at your phone? Your head pushed out in front of your shoulders? This is the starting position for retraction.
When you realize you’re hunched over, pull your chin backward while looking directly forward. You should feel a “double-chin” forming under your jaw.
Repeat this forward/backward exercise 10 times once an hour or two while working or catching up on texts.
Trap stretch
Tension in the upper trapezius muscles is common. These muscles span the back of the neck and shoulders, working in tandem to move the head and shoulder blades. The trap stretch can be performed any time you feel tight.
Just 20-30 seconds for each side of the neck to release tension.
To stretch the right side, place your right hand on your waist or lower back, tilt your head to the left while looking back to the right. Place your left hand on top of your head and gently pull toward the left until you feel a comfortable stretch. Don’t overdo it.
Repeat on the other side.
Thoracic extension
OK, let’s be honest. This one might look a bit odd if your cubicle mates walk by while you’re doing this stretch.
The relief factor will be worth it, though.
Lean forward in your chair. Pretend you’re smashing a pillow between your belly and thighs. Place your hands with fingers crossed behind your head.
Do this one every couple hours while sitting at your work space. Who knows? You might convince others to join in.
Prone retraction
The next two exercises might be better done at home because of curious onlookers and all.
Lie face down on the floor with your arms at your side, hands near the hips.
Keep your neck straight and do not look upward.
Lift your chin, arms and knees slightly off the floor.
Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and release to the floor. Repeat 10 times for three sets.
Prone scaption
Lie face down on the floor with your arms reaching upward and slightly outward from your head.
Keep your neck straight and lift your chin, arms and knees off the ground.
Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and release to the floor. Repeat 10 times for three sets.
With the overhead arm position, this exercise emphasizes the lower trapezius muscle between your shoulder blades. The prone scaption can be performed 2-3 days each week to promote strengthening of the muscles across the back of your neck, shoulders and torso.
In addition to the exercises listed above, it’s important to pay attention to your posture while using your phone or tablet.
Keep your chin parallel to the ground, and make sure your neck is in line with your spine. This will help reduce the strain on your neck and reduce tech neck pain.
How to avoid tech neck
If you’re looking to avoid tech neck pain in the future, the best way is to limit your use of technology and set limits on how much screen time you spend on your phone.
The point? Take regular breaks from looking at your screen.
You can also invest in a stand for your phone or tablet that angles the screen toward you, so you don’t have to look down as much.
Now, armed with these exercises, stay active and stretch regularly to keep your neck and shoulder muscles flexible to reduce the strain on your neck. Save the bowling balls for when you go bowling.
6 Chiropractor-Approved Exercises to Fight Text Neck:
Exercises to combat text neck
Strengthening and stretching your muscles may help alleviate some of that nagging neck pain, says Aixa Goodrich DC, FMP, of South Florida Rehabilitation and Wellness Center.
So, with the help of professional chiropractors, we rounded up the best equipment-free stretches and exercises. Incorporate these into your daily routine one to three times a day to help show text neck who’s boss.
1. Exaggerated nod
The exaggerated nod counterbalances the downward/forward head position by pulling your shoulders down and back, and increasing neck mobility, explains Cappo.
How to do it:
- Start by sitting at your desk or standing comfortably with your shoulders relaxed. With your mouth closed — teeth touching but not clenching — look up to the ceiling.
- Pause here and let your jaw relax and open your mouth. Now see if you can bring your head further back an inch or two (typically you can).
- Keep your head still here and bring your lower jaw to your upper jaw, closing your mouth. You should feel a stretch in the front of your neck.
2. Downward-Facing Dog
Downward-Facing Dog is useful for opening the anterior chest wall and shoulders — which are often rounded and tightened from excessive tech usage, Goodrich points out. This pose is all about upper-body strength, which means if you don’t have the shoulder strength you might compensate by scrunching your shoulders up to your ears. If you notice yourself doing this, actively draw your shoulder blades down your back, which will create space in your neck.
How to do it:
- Begin on all fours. Tuck your toes and lift your hips high, reaching your hip bones toward the ceiling.
- Reach your heels back toward the mat, but don’t let them plank on the ground.
- Drop your head so that your neck is long. As you stay here, make sure that your wrist creases stay parallel to the front edge of the mat.
- To alleviate the pressure on your wrists, press into the knuckles of your forefingers and thumbs.
- Breathe here for at least three deep breaths. Then release.
3. Cat-Cow
Your core and pelvis should drive the Cat-Cow flow: As you inhale you create an anterior tilt to the pelvis so that your tailbone is facing the ceiling, and as you exhale you create a posterior tilt so that your tailbone is turned toward the ground. This movement sequence helps increase spinal awareness, which is a large part of less-than-perfect posture.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, your hips stacked over your knees, and the tops of your feet pressed into the ground. Look down a few inches in front of your fingers and lengthen from your head down to your tailbone.
- To begin the ‘cat’ phase, use your abs to curl your spine toward the ceiling while tucking in your tailbone (making the shape of a Halloween cat) as you exhale. Lengthen your neck and allow your chin to reach down and in, toward your chest, so your ears come down by your biceps.
- To begin the ‘cow’ phase, swoop and scoop your pelvis so your belly drops down to the floor as you inhale. Broaden across your shoulder blades, drawing your shoulders away from your ears, and lift your chin and chest to gaze up toward the ceiling.
- Cycle through Cat-Cow a few times, keeping stress and pressure out of the head and neck.
4. Padahastasana
Padahastasana stretches the neck and hamstrings, which means that it’s fighting text neck and hips that are tight from sitting all day at the same time, explains Goodrich.
How to do it:
- Take off your shoes and begin with your feet hip-distance apart. Then, bend forward, letting your arms touch the floor. If it’s difficult, take your arms only as far as it’s possible without straining.
- Bend your knees and lift the balls of your feet off the ground to slip your hands, palms face-up, underneath your feet.
- Allow your toes to come right into your wrist creases. Press into your palm with the balls of your feet and relax your head. Breathe here for at least three deep breaths.
5. Bow pose
Bow pose helps to counteract slouched shoulders by opening them from the front, and strengthening them from the back, explains Marina Mangano, DC, founder of Chiro Yoga Flow.
How to do it:
- Lie flat on your stomach with your chin on the floor and your hands resting on either side of you.
- Bend your knees and bring your heels as close to your buttocks as you can. Reach backwards with both hands and grab onto your outer ankles. As you inhale, lift your heels up toward the ceiling so that your chest, thighs, and upper torso lift up off the mat.
- To intensify the stretch, try to lift your heels higher while keeping your tailbone pressed into the mat. Look forward and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
- Hold this position for 10 breaths. Release on an exhale by slowly lowering your thighs, and then the rest of your body, to the ground.
6. Chin tuck
Chin tuck is a simple exercise you can do at your desk, at a stoplight, or even in a meeting at work. This simple stretch will help increase spinal awareness, while strengthening the neck muscles to help pull your head back into alignment, says Cappo.
How to do it:
- Sit up tall in a chair and keep your chin parallel to the floor. Without tilting your head in any direction, gently draw your head and chin back, like you’re making a double chin. Be careful not to jam your head back. You should feel a stretch along the back of the neck.
- Now imagine there’s a string pulling your head upward like a puppet, and actively elongate your neck. Actively push the base of your skull away from the base of your neck. Keep your jaw relaxed and hold this position for 3 deep breaths.
- Release your chin forward. Repeat.
Prevent text neck from taking over
1. Change how you hold your phone
“Bring the screen to eye level so your head is not slouched forward or too high. Instead, keep a neutral spine so your ear is in line with your shoulders,” says Cappo. This will keep you from holding a forward-head posture for a prolonged period of time.
2. Take phone breaks
Frequent breaks from the screen can help, even if it’s just two to three minutes every hour. “Getting rid of the habit of looking down is my first suggestion to preventing and alleviating tech neck, but that’s highly unlikely for most people. So instead I recommend that people try to consciously take breaks from their phones,” says Goodrich. “Set reminders on your phone or computer, or use a sticky note. These small cues can make a huge difference.”
3. Try the Text Neck app
There’s a Text Neck app for Android that offers “immediate real time feedback” about your posture (indicated by a green or red light). There’s also an optional vibration or beep reminder to tell you when you’ve lapsed back into bad habits.
4. If you experience prolonged pain, see a pro
If you experience prolonged pain, Elizabeth Anderson, DC and Erin Anderson, DC, of Twin Life Chiropractic, recommend getting adjusted, which helps relieve pain and address the structural issues that text neck creates over time. And they might be onto something. A 2007 reviewTrusted Source pointed to chiropractic care as one of the major nonpharmacological therapies considered effective for acute and chronic neck and back pain.
5. Do 10 minutes of yoga
The best way to treat and prevent neck and back pain is yoga, Goodrich says, because it helps improve movement patterns, increases body awareness, and incorporates breath work. Neck pain is caused by a muscular imbalance, such as tight rhomboids, but daily yoga sessions can help correct those differences. Doing the exercises mentioned above, or 10 minutes a day of yoga, can make a difference.