Next Post
How to Make Nut Butter
You, right now, right at this moment, reading this with your phone or computer or any devices, is one of the moments that you worsen your tech neck. On a typical day, you use your computer, laptop, and phone while working or to study. You might use a tablet to play a game or watch a video after work. Throughout the day, you check your mobile phone for emails and texts dozens of times.
What is tech neck?
Tech neck is when the head juts forward and often downward as we look at tech devices sitting on our desks, propped in our laps or held in our hands. Any time you overuse a part of your body or maintain an awkward position, the misalignment of your head relative to your neck increases the weight that your neck bears. The position overworks your cervical spine, neck, and upper back muscles; they become fatigued, sore, and stiff, leading to when we look down to devices and flex forward our head, it causes us neck pain, headache, shoulder pain and upper back pain.
Neck exercises
How can you avoid developing neck problems and lessen existing neck pain? Regular stretching and strengthening exercises help to improve both the flexibility and strength of your muscles, as well as the ligaments and tendons that support them.
Example of a neck stretching exercise 1:
Step 1: Place your feet flat on the floor and sit up straight.
Step 2: Relax your arms by your sides.
Step 3: Place your right hand on your head. Tilt your head to the right. Use a little bit of pressure from your hand on your head to deepen the stretch.
Step 4: Hold for 30 seconds.
Step 5: Slowly lift your head and repeat this exercise on your left side.
Example of a neck stretching exercise 2:
Step 1. Sit with your shoulders back and your head in an upright position.
Step 2: Place 2 fingers on your chin.
Step 3: Tuck your chin and gently pull your head back. Use your fingers to keep your chin tucked.
Step 4: Hold for a few seconds. Relax.
Step 5: Step 5: Repeat 2 to 3 sets, 10 times each.
Preventing tech neck
Ultimately, we need to set up an environment that allows us to keep our heads up. We need to be conscious of our postural propensities. Think about the posture, fix it when out of alignment, and be aware of letting the head drift anteriorly when looking at a tech device. Take a break, set reminders to do a “neck check” and stretch every 30 minutes or so. Also simply reposition the devices closer to the head, rather than moving the head closer to the devices.
.png)
