Preventing Neck Pain or 'Tech Neck'

Looking through a post about funny signs on the street, I saw one that I thought was more saddening than amusing. It was a triangle shaped sign (to mean a warning) with a picture of people looking into their phone while walking (presumably while crossing the street). It saddened me because it made me realize how integrated the smartphone is to everyday life that many of us can’t even cross the street without putting it down.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the average time people spend on their phones is three hours and 15 minutes. Filipinos are much higher: according to Meltwater, Filipinos are on the Internet via cellphone for a whopping five hours and 21 minutes per day. (Is this why the joke among content creators is if you want to increase followers and likes, feature something Filipino?) These stats are just about phones. We also use computers and tablets.

Tech neck

Using devices to simplify everyday life tasks should not be the cause of debilitation. Recalling the warning sign I mentioned above, too much cellphone-staring as one crosses the street is a high-risk activity—one that’s quite life threatening, too, if you think about it! Another (indoor) example is the story of the 25-year-old Japanese man who suffered “dropped head syndrome” from “nonstop cellphone use.”

Extreme conclusions aside, a more common occurrence is “tech neck,” which is constant pain or poor posture caused by too much tech use. To this, I must say, quite a lot of us can be prone.

Think about it: many professions these days require the worker to be in front of the computer for at least 8 hours a day—the time the person is clocking in at the office. When this person steps out of the office, he or she is likely to be carrying the smartphone, obviously to peer through it while away from the bigger screen. Multiply this over the course of a week, a month, a year. What results? Below is a more detailed definition of tech neck:

“Tech neck is any form of chronic neck or shoulder pain, soreness or stiffness caused by poor posture while using technology, such as phones or computers. Looking down at electronic devices causes the neck muscles to strain and the shoulders to slump forward… Over time, staying in this position can increase the force and effort on your shoulders, neck, and upper back muscles and put uneven pressure on your spine.”-Brian Langenhorst, specialist in occupational medicine, for The Mayo Clinic Heath System

Pain in the neck from working… and resting

Quite literally, it is a pain in the neck. As I’m also a computer-stationed worker (writers spend plenty of time in front of the screen), I feel the constant need to check my own posture. If I don’t check it, the consequence is pain, which is difficult to have, especially when I’m also taking care of children. So, I try to move out of the tech neck position whenever I can. Some of the things I do include getting up and taking a walk—a good way to refresh one’s thoughts and rest one’s eyes; putting down that phone to read a book; and (it works for me as I work at home) breaking up computer time by doing the household chores.

Of course, when it is time to sit and work on the computer, I try to have good working posture. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is achieved by keeping the “head, hips, and spine stacked.” When they are stacked, the body stays in a “neutral, supported, and upright posture” while working.

Often overlooked, resting in front of the screen is a hazard for the neck, too. People also use devices—particularly smartphones and tablets—for resting, and that’s all right as long as it’s not an entire rest period in front of a screen. When you lie down on the bed, try not to stack pillows behind the neck to prop up the head just to look at the smartphone. There are tips for what pillows to use in bed to make lying down kinder on the neck and back posture.

Get some sleep

Resting should be more time away from devices rather than more time immersed in them. Don’t let those “five hours and 21 minutes” eat into your sleep time—sleeping is more essential than keeping up to date on the latest streaming release!

As smartphones are here to stay, it pays to choose well the activities into which you can pour your precious hours. Be smarter than the smartphone by being more deliberate in how you do things, from accomplishing daily tasks to doing the body good. Then you can put yourself in a better position to care for other people, too.

"Using devices to simplify everyday life tasks should not be the cause of debilitation.... Many professions these days require the worker to be in front of the computer for at least 8 hours a day. When this person steps out of the office, he or she is likely to be carrying the smartphone, obviously to peer through it while away from the bigger screen."