I consider tech neck to be a chronic, poor posture position. It’s caused by looking down at any kind of technology device. This includes phones, tablets, computer monitors, laptop monitors, keyboard, and mouse. It can be fixed. But it’s going to take time, consistent effort, and intention.
Every single time we look down to view a device, it adds up. It starts off small, we don’t notice any pain or dysfunction. But it doesn’t matter if we glance down quickly for a second, or if we are holding that compromised neck position for long periods of time. Both eventually contributed to tech neck symptoms for me like chronic pain and muscle tension. These included headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, and chest tension.
This article is not professional medical advice. It’s based off my personal experience and opinions. For years, my poor computer posture caused muscle tension, inflammation, and chronic pain. Bad posture also decreased my mental clarity, energy level, and work productivity.
All the office wellness tips I write about are directly related to improving posture at a computer. We are our own primary caretakers. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
How to Prevent Tech Neck
This article will talk about my 5 favorite methods I used to fix tech neck symptoms. It’ll also talk about how I avoid tech neck by maintaining a neutral, balanced neck posture going forward.
Avoid forward head posture
Forward head posture is when our head is leaned far ahead of our torso. This puts a lot of repetitive strain on the neck and shoulders, causing muscle tension and neck pain. Our head should be above our torso. This allows us to keep our neck in a neutral, balanced position.
Working from a laptop screen for extended periods of time is another common postural mistake that causes forward head posture. We look down at a 45 degree angle when working on a laptop. I used to be guilty of this. It led to excessive muscle tension and neck pain. It may not seem painful at first. But after holding that compromised position for long periods of time, 8 hours a day, repetitive strain will add up quickly.
Use an external monitor
To avoid forward head posture when using a laptop, I use an external monitor. They plug right in to your laptop. This allows me to keep the top of the monitor screen eye level. That prevents me from having forward head posture, even though I’m still working on a laptop.
Avoid text neck posture
Text neck is a more specific form of tech neck. It’s caused by looking down at a smartphone excessively. This also may not seem painful at first. But holding our neck in this vulnerable position for long periods of time will cause increased risk of neck pain.
When looking down at a phone, the muscles on the front of our necks shorten and become compressed. The muscles on the back of the neck lengthen and become overextended. This causes a lot of muscle confusion between the front and the back neck muscles. But the repetitive strain doesn’t stop there. Holding a poor text neck posture used to transfer muscle tension to my shoulders and chest as well.
I use intention anytime I’m looking at my phone. Is my neck in a compromised position? What can I do to get my neck in a more balanced, natural position while still using my phone? How can I decrease my screen time? How can I raise my phone higher, so that my neck isn’t in a vulnerable position? The best way I’ve found to prevent neck strain from devices is to use a gooseneck phone holder as much as possible.
Use a Gooseneck Phone Holder
The best way for a desk worker to decrease neck pain from phone use is to use a gooseneck phone holder. This helps me limit the amount of time I look down at my phone. It was inexpensive, but very valuable in preventing tech neck.
I got mine from Amazon. The manufacturer is Lamicall. (This is not paid promotion. It’s a product I bought with my own money, that has helped me fix tech neck, prevent neck pain, and reduce neck muscle tension.)
I know we don’t have the option to carry these phone holders around and use them 24 hours a day. But, I do make sure to take advantage of this gooseneck phone holder when I’m working at my desk. These 8 hours make up the majority of my day. It eliminates the need to look downward at my phone for half of the 16 hours a day that I’m awake. This is a key way to turn technology into an asset that promotes good posture for me, instead of a liability that is consistently causing tech neck symptoms. The gooseneck phone holder is a great way to practice good ergonomics for phone use.
Use an Iron Neck to strengthen your neck
How the Iron Neck works for athletes and desk workers
The most effective tech neck exercises I’ve done have been while using the Iron Neck. It fits around the head like a hat would. Then, it has a strap that connects under the chin. It’s shaped like a halo. There is a track that goes all the way around it 360 degrees. There is a small device that slides around that track. This device is also connected to the Iron Neck.
The Iron Neck device comes with a resistance band that hooks to the piece that slides around on the track. The other end of the resistance band can hook to a door or a pole.
How to use the Iron Neck for neck pain
Once the Iron Neck is tightened and fits properly, it can now be used for strength and mobility training. It comes with an Iron Neck training program that is printed out on an easy-to-read poster. There are 3 phases. Each phase has 2 different exercises. So there are 6 Iron Neck exercises total. Even though, I only did the first 4 exercises. The last 2 are advanced movements. And by the time I got to that point in the Iron Neck training program (after 6 weeks), my neck pain was gone and my neck felt great.
Iron Neck workout benefits
The Iron Neck has helped me in a big way vs other neck trainers. The health benefits I’ve gotten include:
- improved neck strength
- corrected neck muscle imbalance
- improved blood flow
- improved range of motion
- prevent neck strain from devices
- fix tech neck
- improved computer posture
Is Iron Neck worth it?
The answer is definitely “yes” in my experience. Considering that it’s one of the most expensive posture correction devices I’ve ever bought, I was skeptical at first. But I’m glad I got one. No other device corrected the muscle imbalance in my neck. And I tried a lot of devices and healing practices. Without the Iron Neck, I’d still have neck pain and dysfunction today. It’s my favorite method to provide neck relief for office workers.
This section about the Iron Neck is a shortened summary of a product review I did. You can read that full review by going to my article titled, Iron Neck Review.
To fix tech neck without an Iron Neck, check out my article titled, Cervical Spine Exercises. It gives examples of my favorite tech neck stretches and exercises.
THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN COMPUTER POSTURE.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce computer-related injuries by improving your posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article on how to prevent tech neck, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
>>> Click here to download your free copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful, poor computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen
