Tech Neck: What It Is and How to Avoid It

People in the United States spend a great deal of time interacting with technology — an average of 8 hours and 14 minutes per day in 2022. From laptops to tablets to smartphones, these devices affect how you sit and hold your body, leading to unnatural and harmful posture.

We’ve even got a name for the pain and discomfort that result from poor ergonomic setups and lousy posture — tech neck.

At Interventional Pain Center, Dr. James Stephens offers pain management services, including neck pain that moves into the shoulders and upper back, at our office in Legacy Office Park, Norman, Oklahoma. If you’re dealing with the effects of tech neck, here’s what you need to know.

What causes tech neck, and what are its symptoms?

The human head weighs an average of 10-12 pounds. And when you’re standing or sitting up straight, your spine and muscles can easily handle that weight.

However, when you work at a computer that’s not at eye level or look down at your tablet or phone, the muscles in the back of your neck contract to hold your head in a tilted position. The more you look down, the harder the muscles work, and they get tired and sore.

If you tilt your head and neck forward just 15 degrees, your muscles perceive it as lifting a 27-pound weight, 30 degrees is like 40 pounds, and 60 degrees is like holding up a 60-pound weight. If you do this for 8+ hours a day, it’s no wonder you’re in pain.

And not just your muscles are affected. Your neck joints become strained, and the intervertebral discs that cushion your spine start to wear out. Common complaints are headaches, stiff necks and neck muscle spasms, and pain between the shoulder blades. It even becomes hard to hold your head upright because your spine may become curved.

In severe situations, symptoms include pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that radiate into your arms because of a pinched nerve in your neck.

How to avoid tech neck

When engaging with a device, such as a computer at work, most think they should sit up straight. However, that’s not what you should do at all. With your back straight, you simultaneously put a lot of force on the discs in the lower spine and have to contract your neck muscles to hold your head up. If you’re working for some time, you may end up with neck and back pain as a result.

Instead, try to sit with the chair reclining 25-30 degrees, but with good lumbar support to prevent you from slouching. In this position, you place less force on the discs in your back and neck, and your neck muscles don’t have to contract to hold your head up.

The reason behind the advice is this: When you lean back, part of your body weight rests on the chair instead of straight down your spine. Most people do this intuitively when relaxing.

What to do to manage symptoms

If you already have symptoms of tech neck, it’s important to learn to manage them so the problem gets better, not worse.

First, get up and move frequently, at least every 15 to 30 minutes if you have a sedentary job. That gets the blood circulating and puts your neck in a healthier position. It also works as a whole body treatment. Studies show that sitting for extended periods is dangerous to your heart health and can lead to a shortened life span.

Second, get a reclining chair with good lumbar support and lean back as much as you can while working to relieve the pressure on the neck muscles. You can tell if you’re leaning back enough by putting your hand at the back of your neck as you lean forward; the neck muscles should contract and stiffen up. As you lean backward, they relax and soften.

Third, work at a standing desk if possible. If you divide your time equally between sitting and standing, you’ll be in better shape to prevent tech neck.

Struggling with the pain and discomfort of tech neck? Interventional Pain Center can help. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Stephens, call our office at 405-759-8407 or use our online booking tool today.