What is Tech Neck?
We all love our phones and tablets, right? No matter your age or if you use it for texting, emailing, social media, or playing games, the fact of the matter is that hand-held technology has captivated mostly everyone in some way or another. Although these devices have endless incredible features to offer, one downside of looking down at a screen for extended periods of time can lead to serious damage of the neck and a host of other health issues.
Did you know the average adult head weighs about 10-12 pounds? However, the farther down you tilt your head, the more weight the more weight gets added to the strain on your neck. Just a 15º tilt in your neck doubles the weight of the strain and a 60º tilt can add an additional 50 pounds! This hanging head posture we have subconsciously adopted causes repetitive strains to the muscles and surrounding ligaments in your neck creating what is called “Tech Neck”. Without realizing it, we put all this heavy lifting on our necks and shoulders that can lead to several uncomfortable symptoms all over the body.
Symptoms
Everyone spends different amounts of time on their phones and tablets, but generally, the more time you spend in the hanging head posture, the worse your Tech Neck symptoms will be. Some symptoms of Tech Neck can be surprising as effects on the spine can, in turn, create pains and sensations in other areas of the body besides the neck and shoulders. Common symptoms to look out for include:
- Aching pain or discomfort in the lower neck and shoulders area
- Headaches
- Sharp pain in a single spot
- Neck stiffness or decreased mobility in the neck, shoulders, or upper back
- Jaw pain and numbness or tingling pain in the arms and hands can occur when the spine has been misaligned or inflamed
Preventing and Treating Tech Neck
No matter the severity of your Tech Neck, anyone who uses their hand-held technology regularly should be aware of practices they can adopt to be proactive and help lessen their symptoms or decrease the chance of getting Tech Neck in the first place. Making it a habit to be mindful of your posture, keeping your screens at eye level, and regularly stretching your neck and shoulder muscles to relieve strain are all great places to start conquering Tech Neck.
If you feel more severe muscle strain symptoms and think you might need to seek treatment, you may want to look into getting physical therapy or trigger point injections, both of which we offer at Aspire. If your pain is more focused around the joint, a nerve block treatment might be the best course of action to reduce your pain.
Everyone who suffers from Tech Neck will have a different experience with the pain, so seeking the help of a pain specialist can save you a lot of discomfort down the road. To schedule an appointment with one of our trained professionals today, call 813-296-5939 or contact us through our website.
To learn more about the treatments offered at Aspire Pain Relief Institute and which might be right for you, visit this page: https://aspirepainrelief.com/neck-pain/.