How to Fix Tech Neck

Advancement in technology has led to the introduction of many handheld devices used by people in society. Some of these devices are tablets, Smartphones, laptops etc. In recent times, most people have become glued to their devices to the extent that you seldom see people who don’t use their devices at least once in every 2 minutes. This is because these devices make everything easy for us. And besides, why look away when there’s always something new and exciting to see, right in the palm of your hand?

Work and enjoying entertainment can now be performed 24 hours within and outside the office because of unlimited access to internet activities provided by these portable devices. This has led to a technological epidemic found among people around the world. This epidemic is known as Tech Neck.

What is Tech neck?

A term used to describe the pain that is being developed in the neck as a result of holding a forward head posture while looking at our handheld devices, laptops and other devices, tech neck develops when people spend too much time of their devices. This can lead to neck pain and posture problems, as the cervical spine is placed in a weak position. However, it is very possible to prevent smartphone and tablet device use-related neck pain. Some of the tips to prevent poor posture and to relieve pain brought on by this condition are discussed below.

Ways of Preventing Tech Neck

• Adjust Computer to be at eye level: Adjust your computer screen so it sits at eye level and you’ll see that this helps relieve pain, especially neck pain from a forward head posture. In other words, computers should be placed on a high table/desk that will adjust the computer to your level. With this, the muscles of the neck will not be strained and the skin will not be wrinkled. This will reduce the likelihood of pain and discomfort even if you spend hours working on your computer.

• Use a tablet/phone holder:It is important for tablet/phone owners to use tablet holders in order to reduce the flexion on their neck and to prevent a forward head posture. Tablet holders will help to raise the tablet to a reasonable height that will prevent the user from straining the neck muscles. This will help to reduce or prevent neck tech.

• Exercise the neck while working:The neck can be exercised while sitting at a desk while working. These neck exercises can help to reduce the stiffness and pain in the neck and help to stretch the neck muscles, aiding in avoiding neck pain and providing relief from spending too much time in a forward head posture. Some of these exercises are neck retraction, head drop, side bend, rotation, flexion and shoulder blade pull.

• Keep shoulders relaxed when using a smartphone:Ensure that whenever you are using your smartphone your shoulders are well relaxed. This can be done by using an exercise that gently pulls the shoulders down and back towards the shoulder blades.
• Set time Limit/Take Frequent Breaks:It is important for users of smartphone devices, tablets and computers to set the time minute they will be spending on their device. This is important to develop a plan that they will be spending on their device. Generally, experts have recommended that for every 15 to 20 minutes that is being spent on smartphone devices or computers, the users should always take at least a 3 minute break. This will help to reduce neck pain to the barest minimum.
• Foam rolling the upper back.Daily foam rolling the upper back will help stretch and release tight muscles in the upper back and help get your posture back to normal position.Check out our foam rolling article for full details.

• Practice Yoga: As a type of exercise, yoga has countless health benefits while to many other people it gives them a very nice spiritual experience. However, practicing yoga can help to prevent tech neck and help to improve good postures.

• See a professional: Generally, tech neck is something that can be prevented from occurring. However, when you start noticing symptoms associated with tech neck, it is important to seek medical advice. Some of these symptoms are stiffness of the neck, tightness or pain between the shoulder blades, headaches and tingles in the arms and hands.
• Always take water: Frequent hydration is one of the most effective ways of preventing neck tech. This is due to the fact that discs in the spine are mostly made up of water and it is important to drink water during the day to keep them healthy. It is advisable to always take a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day. This will help to prevent tech neck because the spine discs are pliable and healthy.
• Download the Text Neck App(For Apple Users): Technology has made things easy and different software and applications are developed on a daily basis to proffer different solutions. In recent times, an apple application has been developed to curb the level of tech neck among people in the society. This application gives feedback to users as to whether they are standing in the correct posture. These feedbacks are usually sent through indication lights usually green and red. When the application flashes green light, it means that the user is standing in the correct posture and when the red light is flashed, it is an indication that the correct posture that is being maintained by the user is poor and needs to be corrected.  The application tracks users’ standing patterns and gives an average score on it.

It is always good to be conscious of your posture whenever you are using your device so you can prevent tech neck. Follow these tips for preventing tech neck; they will help you to reduce the likelihood of developing tech neck.

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