How to Prevent Tech Neck This School Year

The school year has a way of putting everyone back in front of a screen.

Maybe you're spending more time answering emails, checking school portals, helping with homework, or working on a laptop after the kids go to bed. Add in the time we already spend on our phones, and it's easy to look up at the end of the day with a stiff neck and tight shoulders.

That discomfort is often called tech neck.

At Cherry Health Center, we see adults throughout Springfield and the Ozarks who are dealing with neck and back pain that interferes with work, sleep, and everyday life. While screen time isn't always the cause of neck pain, the way you use your devices can certainly affect how you feel.

A few changes to your daily routine may help.

Your Phone Isn't the Problem—How You Use It Might Be

Think about how you normally check your phone. Chances are, it's somewhere around chest or waist level and your head is angled down toward it. Now think about how often you do that during a normal day. The issue isn't glancing at a phone. It's spending long stretches in the same position over and over again.

Tech neck can show up as:

• A stiff or sore neck

• Tight shoulders

• Aching between the shoulder blades

• Headaches

• Muscle fatigue

• Difficulty comfortably turning your head

Of course, not every sore neck is tech neck. If pain keeps coming back, gets worse, or comes with other symptoms, it's worth having it evaluated rather than assuming your phone is the only culprit.

Bring the Screen to You

One of the easiest things you can change is where your screen sits.

If you're working at a desktop computer, position the monitor where you can comfortably look forward instead of spending the day looking down.

Laptop users have a tougher time because the keyboard and screen are attached. Raising the laptop and using an external keyboard and mouse can create a much more comfortable setup.

With your phone, try bringing it higher during longer periods of use instead of automatically dropping your head toward your lap.

You don't have to sit perfectly straight all day. In fact, trying to hold one “perfect” position for eight hours isn't realistic. What's more helpful is avoiding long stretches in any one uncomfortable position.

Get Up More Often

Even the best desk setup won't feel good if you don't move for three hours. Make a habit of getting up throughout the day.

Walk to refill your water. Stand while you're on a phone call. Move around after finishing a meeting. Roll your shoulders and gently move your neck through comfortable ranges.

These breaks don't need to turn into workouts.

The point is simply to stop your body from staying in the same position hour after hour.

If you tend to lose track of time while working, connect movement to something that's already part of your routine—finishing an email, ending a meeting, or switching tasks.

Take a Second Look at Your Workspace

You can buy every ergonomic gadget available and still be uncomfortable if the basics aren't right.

Ask yourself a few simple questions:

• Is my screen easy to see without leaning forward?

• Is my keyboard close enough?

• Are my shoulders relaxed?

• Are my feet supported?

• Am I constantly turning to look at a second monitor?

• Is my chair comfortable enough for the time I spend in it?

  
  

Sometimes a small change solves an obvious problem. Moving the keyboard closer may stop you from reaching forward all day. Raising the laptop may reduce how often you're looking down. Better lighting may keep you from leaning toward the screen.

Don't Forget About the Couch

Not all tech neck happens at a desk. Phones and tablets are often used on the couch or in bed, where it's easy to settle into an awkward position and stay there for a long time.

If you're going to watch something or read on a tablet, a stand can help bring the screen to a more comfortable height.

If you're scrolling on your phone, change positions occasionally and give yourself breaks.

Your body usually lets you know when a position isn't working. Don't wait until mild stiffness turns into significant discomfort before moving.

When Neck Pain Doesn't Go Away

Changing your screen habits can be helpful, but it won't solve every type of neck pain.

Consider having your symptoms evaluated if the pain keeps returning, limits your normal activities, affects sleep, or doesn't improve when you adjust your routine.

You should also pay attention to symptoms such as pain traveling into an arm, numbness, tingling, or weakness.

At Cherry Health Center, our approach brings medical, chiropractic, and physical therapy services together in one location. That allows care to be based on what's actually contributing to your symptoms rather than assuming every patient needs the same treatment.

Make This School Year a Little Easier on Your Neck

You probably aren't going to eliminate screens from your life—and you don't need to.

Start with the things you can control.

Raise your screen. Move more often. Adjust your workspace. Change positions before you become uncomfortable. And if your neck continues to hurt despite those changes, get it checked.

At Cherry Health Center, we help adults throughout Springfield and the surrounding Ozarks explore personalized, non-surgical options for neck, back, knee, and joint pain.