Tech Neck

This article is about 'Tech Neck', a fairly new term for a problem that's been around for a few decades. Tech Neck refers to the strain and discomfort felt in the neck and shoulders caused by the prolonged poor neck postures that we adopt when looking at our screens.


By Stephen Bunting, Specialist MSK Physiotherapist (UK)


The information is also presented in video format below, along with a demonstration of the exercises.

 


Do you ever catch yourself hunched over your phone or laptop or staring intensely at your computer screen, and then notice that dull ache or stiffness creeping into your neck and the back of your shoulders? 

It's an increasing common problem seen in MSK clinics. 


Its been called various names over the years like ‘postural neck pain, myofascial or muscular neck pain, and forward head positional pain but more recently its adopted a new name that has begun to stick with the general population: ’Tech Neck’.


Part 1: What is Tech Neck ? 


Ours heads weigh about 5kgs (11 pounds). In a neutral posture with your head balanced perfectly on your neck, there is no muscle activity involved in keeping it there. But then for every inch of forward movement, the load of your head on your neck muscles increases by about 4.5kgs (10 pounds). When it gets to around 45 degrees your neck muscles are supporting the equivalent of up to 22 kgs (50 pounds) of weight.


If you keep your neck in a forwards position for a while, those muscles are going to get tight and painful. The symptoms of Tech Neck are stiffness and pain in the muscles that support the head, so mainly the paraspinal muscles that run up either side of the neck and the upper back, the scapulothoracic muscles that connect the shoulder blades to the spine, and the upper trapezius muscles (also known as the coat hanger muscles) that run across the back of both shoulders. Because these are the main muscle groups that are active in that forwards head position. 


Scapulothoracic Muscles              Paraspinal Muscles                 Upper Trapezius Muscles

The symptoms are often worse on one side of the neck. This is because we will often adopt a preferred position where the head is slight tilted or rotated, which puts extra strain on the muscles of one side over the other. 


It's also common to lean through one elbow while holding your device or using the computer mouse with the other hand. As such, a common picture emerges where right handed people experience more pain in the left side of the neck and shoulder, because it's the left arm that right handed people tend to lean through.


Other symptoms associated with Tech Neck can include tension headaches, eye strain and sometime pain and a tingling sensation might travel down the arm if some of the nerves start to become irritated.


But the important thing to remember is that Tech Neck in itself isn’t usually harmful. But if left untreated over time, it can lead to chronic pain, poor posture and a reduced quality of life.


Part 2: Why Have I Got It ? 


The average person spends about 4 hours a day staring at their phones. You only have to look around and see that it’s nearly always in that hunched posture with the phone down low and the head hanging forwards. 



In a typical office job, someone might spend 8 hours at their desk, again essentially just looking at a screen. That lack of movement, often in poor postures can cause the neck muscles to tighten up and weaken, because they are just not being used as nature intended  - for movement.



So the main cause of Tech Neck is looking at screens in a slouched posture. Buts that's only half the story. Even if you are in a perfect posture with the screen directly in front of you, if you don’t move out of that position frequently, you are still going to stiffen up. Motion is lotion for our bodies and if we deprive those neck muscles of motion, they will respond by getting stiffer and weaker. 


So to summarise, the reason why you might have Tech Neck is often not just about poor posture, it also about a lack of regular neck movement resulting in weakness and stiffness of the muscles.


So if you have developed Tech Neck, then don’t beat yourself up—it’s simply a reflection of how modern technology has changed the way we live and work. In most cases it’s treatable and reversible but it will mean making some changes to your daily habits. 


Part 3: What Can I Do About It ? 


We can’t avoid technology, it’s part of modern life and stitched into our daily routines. But we can change the ways that we interact with it. And we do this by focusing on 2 key factors, posture and movement.


Posture


I’m going to talk about posture first because here we can get some quick wins. Like I mentioned before though, you can sit in the best posture ever, but if you hardly ever move out of that posture then you’re still going to get stiff, weak and painful its just that it will take longer to develop. So keeping good posture alone is only half of the battle, but it is still important when you are interacting with your screen to keep your neck in the most neutral position that you can. So here’s 6 tips to help with your neck posture.


1 Screen height: Make sure the top of your screen is at or just below eye level, and is straight in front of you, not over to the side so you have to rotate your neck. There are so many devices out there to elevate a monitor or a laptop screen so this is a quick win.



2 Bring the device to you rather than craning your neck forward. You simply have to get into the habit of holding your phone to your face rather than letting your face sag down to see it. Your arm is adapted to place your hand efficiently in front your face, for feeding yourself. So use it like nature intended.


3 The 20–20–20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps reduce eye strain and helps you to focus on your posture and environment.


4 Take Regular Breaks: Stand, stretch, and walk every hour. Even if it’s just for a minute. This is really important and so I would consider this one bolded and underlined.


5 Supportive setup: Use a proper desk set up for work, especially if work from home. Don’t be tempted to work with your laptop on your knee and sat on the couch. Use a separate keyboard and mouse for laptops and consider using an ergonomic keyboard and mouse if you spend long hours using them. 


                           


Even better, is to use a Riser desk which can move quickly between a sitting and standing position. Standing is a much better position to work in for many different reasons. It’s much better for your spinal posture and it keeps you more active and alert. It works your leg and back muscles and It burns many more calories than in sitting so can help with weight loss and prevent conditions associated with sedentary lifestyles like diabetes. 



Full Size Riser Desk
                                  

                         Compact Riser Desk Conversion




6 Mindful awareness: Notice when you’re slouching and then reset posture. Try to link a moment that occurs frequently throughout your day with your posture. For example, every time the phone rings, actively reset your posture. Pick something that happens about every 10 or 20 minutes at work. It won't take long before the phone rings, you go to correct your posture and you realise you’re already there. That’s when you’ve cracked it. 


If you’re struggling with posture you could consider using a posture correction brace which can just help to remind you when you start to slouch. I’ll put links to all the products I’ve talked about in the video description.


Posture Correction Brace

Movement & Exercise


Ok so we’ve gone through posture and the importance of keeping your neck in most efficient positions but thats only half the battle. Regular movement is vital in preventing muscle tension and neck stiffness. So I’m going to show some basic stretches and exercises which target the movements and the muscle that are most commonly affected in tech neck. I’ll start by showing you some simple ones that you can do while at work and then some other more intensive ones that you can do at home, maybe after a stressful day in the office or when your muscles are feeling particularly tight. So let’s head to the clinic.


Ok so these first few exercises can be done while sat at home or at your desk. And they are best done regularly. Don’t wait for your neck to start feeling tight and painful. The idea of doing them regularly is a preventative measure to stop your neck from getting tight and painful in the first place. 


1. Neck rotation

  • Sit or stand tall.
  • Slowly rotate head and look over you shoulder..
  • Hold 3–5 seconds, relax and then repeat for the other side.
  • Purpose: relieves tightness in overworked neck muscles.


2. Upper Trapezius Stretch

  • Sit tall.
  • Hold side of chair, gently tilt head away until you feel stretch in side of neck.
  • Hold 10-20 seconds, repeat both sides.
    Purpose: relieves tightness in overworked neck muscles.


3. Shoulder Blade Squeezes (Scapular Retraction)

  • Sit or stand with arms by sides.
  • Squeeze shoulder blades back and together.
  • Hold 3–5 seconds.
  • 10–12 reps, 2–3 sets.
    Purpose: rebalances tight chest muscles and weak back muscles.


4. Shoulder Blade Stretches (Scapular protraction)

  • Sit on a firm chair with backrest at shoulder blade level.
  • Reach forwards with one hand as far as you can and then reach a little bit further
  • Hold 5-10 seconds and repeat for the other arm
  • Then try both arms together
    Purpose: counteracts hunching by mobilising upper back.


5. Thoracic Extension Over Chair

  • Sit on a firm chair with backrest at shoulder blade level.
  • Hands behind head, gently lean back over the chair.
  • 8–10 slow repetitions.
    Purpose: counteracts hunching by mobilising upper back.


These 5 basic exercises should be done little and often throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you just do a couple of each at a time but at end of the day you might have done 50 of each of them, you’ve just them in bits and pieces every hour or so.


Now these next exercises take a bit more time so they are best done at home. They cab be done regularly as a preventative measure but you can also use them to provide some pain relief after a busy day when your back and neck muscles are feeling tight and achy.


1. Whole spine stretch

  • Lie on your back on a firm surface like the floor - use 1 pillow if you have to but otherwise try using none.
  • Just lying in this position for a few minutes can really help reverse the flexed position that your spine adopts for most of the day.
  • To progress, take both hand overhead
  • Use a convex spine stretcher if you need a more intensive stretch
  • Hold for 5-10 seconds.
    Purpose: stretches the whole spine into a more neutral position

2. Upper Spinal Rotation

  • Lie on your side, knees together and bent to 90 degrees.
  • Both hands together and stretched out in front of you.
  • Take your top hand off your bottom one and then keeping your arm straight, take it all the way overhead and then behind you as far as you can. 
  • Hold 10–20 seconds.
    Purpose: opens chest, reduces rounded shoulders.

3. Spinal Flexion and Extension

  • Kneel with knees under hips and hands under shoulders
  • Arch your spine to its maximum curvature
  • Then sag down and curve your spine as far as you can in the opposite direction.
  • Hold each position for 10–20 seconds.
    Purpose: mobilises the whole spine and reduces postural stiffness

Try these exercises daily for 2–3 weeks and you should notice less stiffness and improved posture.


Conclusion

Tech Neck is one of the most common problems I see in clinic, but the good news is, with the right awareness, posture strategies, and regular exercises, it’s completely manageable.

Remember—motion is lotion. Don’t just sit and suffer, take an active role in caring for your neck.

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