“Tech neck” is a term that has been coined in the past few years to describe the pain and discomfort that many people are feeling in their necks and shoulders due to looking down at their phones, tablets, and other devices for extended periods. This issue has become an epidemic in the 21st century, as more and more people are using technology daily. While there are some simple steps that you can take to help prevent or alleviate this pain, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with tech neck and take measures to protect yourself from them.
Mind your posture
“Tech neck” can turn into a herniated disc.
Everybody is looking down at their phone. Over time, that gives a lot of vulnerability to people developing neck problems. If you’re constantly in this kind of position, you’re increasing the instructions for your body to lengthen the ligaments that run up and down your back. This is going to create less stability for your neck in different motions.
Imagine a bowling ball sitting on top of a slinky. That’s essentially what our head is. Generally, our head weighs about 15-20 pounds. It is important to have good ergonomics and strong neck muscles to keep the head from putting stress on the ligaments.
Picture again a bowling ball on top of the slinky and how precarious it is when all of a sudden you start seeing that ball move and try to balance forward. It’s going to be hard for that bowling ball to stay put.
Plus, your muscles have to work extra hard. Which may mean they’re not able to have the speed of reaction that they would need in other situations. For example, if big stress comes by and knocks you over to the side, like when you get hit by a football player or if your car gets startled by a sudden sound, you will want to turn your head quickly to the side. If you don’t have the appropriate level of tension and strength in your muscles because of overcompensation for ligaments, it leaves you vulnerable to seeing stress in parts of your neck that are not built for that kind of stress. The most important one is the disc and the ligament that surrounds the disc.
How does herniation happen in a tech neck?
If you have a chronic downward and forward motion of the head, your body will get used to it. When something different happens that is not within the spectrum of motions that your body is used to, then you will feel that stress at the level of the disc.
Your ligaments help to provide stability. The vertebrae of your neck are all stacked on top of each other and held in place with ligaments. If they have been stretched out or damaged, then they are not able to hold stability when different stresses come by.
This in turn is going to create shear stress, which could injure the ring around the disc, the ligaments that are surrounding the disc, and thereby creating an area of weakness in the disc where things can herniate out.
Will surgery help?
Sometimes surgery can fix the problem that is causing pain. But sometimes people have problems with other parts of their bodies because the surgery changed where everything else is. It’s a concept called adjacent level disease. This happens because the surgery just fixes one place and everything else has to move around to fit.
If you don’t get rid of those other things, then your spine is growing more vulnerable with each day.
The Main Takeaway
Be mindful of ergonomics.
If you’re looking down at your phone, periodically, bring it up instead of looking down at it all the time. It’s not always easy to place your phone somewhat within eye level, but it’s ideal. The same applies when you are working with a computer. If your monitor isn’t high enough, then find old yellow pages to lift it so that whatever text field or web page has been entered into can be viewed directly by the eyes.
If you’re used to typing on your laptop while sitting in one position, try not to do so because it’s going to increase the risk for tech neck. It will eventually accumulate and cause other injuries over time. Getting an adjustable keyboard can help save you from these problems.
We’ve talked about the dangers of “tech neck” and how to prevent it, but what if you’re already experiencing pain? First of all, don’t worry – you’re not alone. This is an epidemic among people who spend a lot of time on their phones and devices. And, fortunately, we can help.
If you’re experiencing tech neck and its associated injuries and would like help getting to the bottom of it, we’d be happy to schedule a discovery call with you. During this call, we can discuss your symptoms in more detail and come up with a plan tailored specifically for you.
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