Got "Tech Neck"? Here's How Chiropractic Can Help

 Browsing, posting, and texting on smartphones, laptops, and tablets certainly improves our connectivity with the world. Unfortunately, your body doesn’t naturally support the postures that these devices require. 

Heath Hancock DC and his team at Hancock Chiropractic in Salina, Kansas warn that, left untreated, the effects of tech neck can lead to chronic pain. Chiropractic care is ideal for countering the challenges raised by contemporary technology. 

Let’s take a look at how chiropractic care can help when your best preventive efforts against tech neck fall short. 

The origins of tech neck  

Discomfort, soreness, or stiffness in your neck caused by spending prolonged periods hunched over a digital screen earns the name “tech neck,” also called text neck for smartphone users. The posture forced by these screens strains your neck and upper back muscles, causing pain, stiffness, and other problems like headaches or pain radiating into the arms, hands and shoulders. 

Your spine naturally forms a shallow S-shape in front-to back profile. Tilting your head forward and down to engage with your phone or other devices eliminates the upper curve of your normal spine shape. 

This forward tilt can reach angles up to 45 degrees. Because of the cantilevered nature of your spine’s support, this imbalance generates up to 50 pounds of pressure on the neck. While your body can handle this in short durations, fatigue and injuries arise with more time spent in these postures.. 

You may develop symptoms that include:

• Aching or sharp pain in the neck, shoulders, or upper back 
• Loss of range of motion in the neck 
• Muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulders
• Slouched posture 
• Shoulder tension
• Headaches 
• Tingling or numbness in the arms and hands 

Chronic strain from tech neck can cause degenerative disc disease and herniated discs, underscoring the importance of treatment and changing your viewing habits.  

Preventing tech neck 

Preventing tech neck begins with awareness of the problem and a few simple posture adjustments.Incorporating these habits into daily life can dramatically reduce strain on your neck:

1. Screen heights 

Raising digital screens to your straight-ahead eye level is the ideal position for relieving the source of tech neck strain. This is easier with laptops and computer workstations, but there are also stand solutions for smartphones and tablets.  

1. Frequent breaks 

Your body is made to move, so set timers if necessary to schedule positional breaks every 20 to 30 minutes.  

1.  Address posture 

Posture isn’t one thing, it can be both dynamic and static. Devices demand static posture, so effort on your part to balance sitting or standing postures can help ease the effects of tech neck.  

1. Address symptoms promptly

You may first notice the effects of tech neck as aches and pains that clear up overnight. Don’t be lured into a false sense of security. Without changes to your screen habits or tech neck treatment, symptoms will build and become more persistent with time. 

How we can help

Chiropractic care focuses on balancing minor dislocations in the joints of your spine. When you develop tech neck, we can help with: 

Neck adjustments 

The core principle of chiropractic care is to reset the alignment of vertebrae into a balanced, parallel relationship. 

Soft tissue therapy 

Therapeutic massage and trigger point therapy can help to relieve soft tissue scar tissue and tightness that results from tech use. 

Understanding posture and ergonomics 

We provide you with practical advice on how to improve posture and technique when using digital devices to reduce the impact of these essential technologies. 

Contact Hancock Chiropractic to schedule a tech neck consultation. Make an appointment online or call our Salina office directly to plan your visit today.