06/03/2026
TECH NECK - EVER HEARD OF IT??🤔
The majority of people of today's day in age is in front of a screen or on their smartphones over 5 hours a day and holding their head and bodies in an unnatural position that leads to a chronic affliction called tech neck or text neck.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
Simply put, hunching forward with rounded shoulders for extended periods of time over a handheld device while sitting in a kitchen chair, couch or even while in bed puts a lot of stress in the back, spine, shoulders arms and even legs.
Desktop users are not exempt from this phenomenon either. Holding your head unnaturally far forward to stare at a screen also results in tech neck.(1)
This unnatual pattern of posture, over time, can cause repetitive strain and even cause injury that presents as neck pain, shoulder pain, upper back pain, chronic headaches, and increased curvature of the cervical spine. The soreness can range from chronic, nagging discomfort to sharp, stabbing, localized pain. (2)
The average human head weighs 10-12 lbs. The neck muscles and normal curvature of your spine are equipped to hold your head upright; however, the demands on the neck muscles increase significantly with every 15 degrees you flex your neck forward. Here is a bit of perspective:
• With just a slight glance down, your head becomes the equivalent of a 27-pound weight.
• At a 30-degree neck tilt, your head feels like 40 pounds.
• Dip your head significantly forward to read a phone held near your lap and you may put upwards of 60 pounds of force on your neck.
At the same time, your shoulders round as you hunch forward to improve your view of the screen. This puts added pressure on your entire upper frame.
Put this all together and you’ve got a recipe for musculoskeletal misfortune. (3)
SYMPTOMS OF TECH NECK:
Stiffness, soreness or sharp pain in your neck and shoulders are signs that you’re spending too much time hunched over your phone. Over time, this sort of persistent strain can contribute to arthritis.
Tech neck may also cause symptoms like:
• Headaches and nausea
• Numbness and tingling in your arm, hand and fingers from nerve irritation
• Degenerative disk disease
• Fatigue, in part due to decreased lung capacity from being hunched over
Tech time may lead to other issues, too, like:
• Eye strain related to staring at a screen too long
• Finger and thumb pain from tapping and scrolling
• Elbow aches from holding devices in a fixed position for long periods(3)
Best solution for this is to spend less time on your desktop computer and hand held devices. Summer is around the corner, so give your head, neck and upper back a break and get involved in other activities or enjoy other hobbies that don't require you to look down for long periods of time as well as create more healthy habits that help your body, not hurt it.
Tech neck giving you problems? Book a 60-minute massage with me and lets work on those neck, head and upper back muscles.💆💆♀️💪🫶
References
1. AMTA November 2021, A Real Pain In The Neck
2. Neupane S, Ifthikar Ali UT, Mathew A. "Text-Neck Syndrome-Systemic review." Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 2017;3(7):141-148.
3. Cleveland Science November 19, 2025, TECH NECK: A MODERN-DAY PAIN
