Dr. Curtis McElroy

Tag: tech neck

  • Simple Exercises To Prevent Tech Neck

    Simple Exercises You Can Do To Prevent Tech Neck

    Prevention of “tech neck” is better than treatment any day.

    If you begin using these tips and exercises now, you can prevent actual damage that will need medical attention.

    Here are a few tips and exercises you can do to prevent “tech neck”:

    Walk away. Really. Put down your mobile device, walk away from the laptop or desktop and go for a walk. Or stretch your arms and legs to release the tension. It would be a great time to go for a 15-minute walk around the house, the park, the parking lot. If you have a favorite exercise like yoga or hula hoop, do it.

    Skincare. Just as you take care of your face with moisturizers and cleansers, do the same with your neck. Neck skin is delicate and two times thinner than the skin on your face. This is why neck wrinkles will happen before facial wrinkles will. And, “tech neck” certainly contributes to wrinkles on the neck. So, take care of your neck as you do your face.

    Stop resting your chin on your hands. When looking at your laptop or desktop monitor, resting your chin on your hands leads to stretching the skin around your neck. The same is true when you bend your neck to hold your phone while taking phones calls. Use headphones, prevent wrinkles.

    Side stretch neck exercise. Place four of your right-hand fingers on the left side of your forehead, and then place your left hand on your shoulder. With your right elbow parallel to the floor, gently pull your head to the right and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

    Tilt stretch neck exercise. You will need a hand towel. Hold the ends of the towel in each hand, wrap the middle of the towel around the back of your head, gently pull your head down and use your neck muscles to resist. Repeat 8 times. Do this gently and slowly.

    Neck and hand stretch. Stand with your feet in line with your hips. Put the palm of your hand against the side of your head. Your elbow is in line with your shoulder and your upper arm is in line with the floor. Standing straight, gently push the palm of your hand against your head, pushing your head toward your shoulder. You will feel a gentle stretch in your neck. Hold for 10 seconds, and then slowly return to the starting position and switch sides. This should be painful – if it is, you are pushing too hard or holding longer than 10 seconds.

    Do these tips and exercises now and you will not only prevent “tech neck” but you will develop a healthy physical routine that will benefit your mind and body for years to come.

  • Body Posture Habits That Can Cause Tech Neck

    Bad Posture Habits That Can Cause Tech Neck

    Your posture, the position you hold your body when standing or sitting, will determine your long-term back and neck health.

    Low back pain, rounded shoulders, shoulder pain, neck pain, and ultimately “tech neck” are all a result of poor posture.

    For “tech neck” the most obvious posture issues are slumped shoulders and looking down at your phone with your chin just an inch or so away from your chest. While these sound harmless, they are in fact not. In reality, the “tech neck” of stiff, sore, and slightly painful neck muscles and tired shoulder muscles also affect the rest of the body and muscle groups.

    Poor, or bad, posture is the result of muscle and skeletal distortions in the neck, and lower and upper back. Most people think of poor posture as simply slumping over, but that is not necessarily the case. While it is true that “tech neck” is caused by this slumping, other signs of poor posture include a bit of a pot belly, soreness in the hip area because slumping of the back puts pressure on the hip joints. Sitting at your computer with slumped shoulders and curve back is definitely poor posture. Looking down at your phone or mobile device with your chin just an inch or so away from your chest is definitely poor posture.

    How To Improve Your Posture

    Begin with understanding that when the back and neck and hips are aligned correctly, you are sitting and walking in a healthy manner. When you have good posture while using your mobile device, computer or laptop, you will feel less tired and you will greatly reduce the likelihood of having “tech neck”.

    Things To Do That Improve Posture:

    Think string. Imagine that you have a string coming from the top of your head that is pulling you gently up, toward the ceiling.

    Have someone tape an X on your back from shoulder to opposite hip. Then close the top of the X with a straight line of tape across your shoulders.

    Wear this during the day.

    You will become aware of how you sit, stand, and walk throughout the day and can begin retraining yourself so that you have better posture.

    Avoid the slouch. Imagine that you have a book on the top of your head and that you must keep that book balanced. Do this while using your mobile devices, computer, and laptop and you will prevent the soreness that comes from “tech neck”.

    Sit up straight. Align your back with the back of the chair. This will help you avoid slouching or leaning forward.

    Take Standing Breaks

    Stand up and stretch, walk around, do a little exercise, or just stand there for a few minutes. Your body was not designed to sit all day.

  • Tech Neck Symptoms

    Symptoms Associated With Tech Neck

    The symptoms of tech neck are easy to identify. It’s important that you catch these symptoms sooner rather than later because they will be much easier to treat and less likely to cause actual damage to your neck. Be mindful of how your neck, shoulders, fingers, and hands feel when you are done using a mobile device or your computer.

    Look for these early symptoms:

    • Soreness at the base of your neck and top of your shoulders.
    • Numbness of your fingers and a tingling when you set aside the mobile device you are using.
    • Pain in the neck and shoulders.
    • The pain occurs only on one side of your body.
    • Frequent tension muscle headaches. These are the dull pain and tender muscles in the neck, scalp, and shoulders. And you feel pressure on your forehead.

    If you have had these symptoms and have ignored them, thinking that they will go away on their own, you may begin experiencing more severe symptoms such as these:

    • Severe neck pain – as if something is tearing or torn.
    • Loss of strength in fingers and hands and no amount of massaging or hand exercises will bring the strength back.

    The minor symptoms are reasonably easy to address.

    The following are some of the things you can do to relieve and stop the pain and soreness:

    • Side neck stretch. Sit on a chair and extend your right arm down towards the floor, place your left hand on top of your head, elbow pointing out to the side. Using your left hand, gently pull your head to the left while continuing to keep your right arm extended downward. Hold for 20 seconds then do the same for the other side.
    • Do a chin tuck. Sit on a chair and clasp your hands behind your head. Settle your hips firmly into your seat. Tuck your chin in toward your chest as you use your hands to begin gently pulling your head down until you feel a stretch to the back of your neck and upper back. Hold 20 then slowly release.
    • Add a new habit of setting aside your mobile device or walking away for 10 minutes, stretching your arms and neck as you move around. This can be done every hour or so and will be very helpful in relieving the pain.
    • And, finally, you can correct your posture so that you have a better posture when using your mobile devices or computer.

    The more severe symptoms will require treatment by a medical professional.

    After X-rays and tests, including an MRI, is done and it is determined that no physical damage to the neck or muscles has occurred, physical therapy will be the recommended treatment.

    There is a possibility, though, that actual tearing of muscles or ligaments has occurred. If that is the case, the medical professional will outline a treatment plan that best serves you.

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