While becoming more and more common, Trinity Professor Luke O’Neill has some handy solutions to “tech neck”.
Speaking on Show Me the Science, Prof O’Neill explained tech neck is any form of chronic neck or shoulder pain, soreness, or stiffness caused by poor posture while using technology such as phones or computers.
“In fact, one study has shown that on average, we spend on average three hours and 15 minutes looking down,” he said.
“When you look down at your phone, your head is tilted forward, and the average weight of the head is 22 kilograms.
“When you bend your head down, you’re putting that weight on your neck and your spine and that’s causing muscular damage.”
This tension and muscular damage can cause headaches – Prof O’Neill noted chronic headaches have “gone through the roof in the last few years”.
The cause of tech neck
Repetitive strain injury, according to Prof O’Neill, is the root cause of tech neck. In fact, plenty of new “technologies” have led to strain injuries in the past.
“Whenever a new technology comes along, people start using it and they get a repetitive strain injury,” he said.
“Musicians play guitar, using their hands a lot, pianists get it in their fingers as well.”
In some cases, repetitive strain injuries can be helped by putting ice on it – but what’s the best way to resolve tech neck?
According to Prof O’Neill, there are some strategies that will help reduce the tension on your neck caused by hours of scrolling.
“First of all, get off your device,” he said.
“But most importantly, physical therapists will provide great advice as to how to loosen up those neck muscles and stop getting strains.
“If you simply stare at the ceiling and lift your neck up and stare up, looking for cobwebs, for 20 seconds three or four times.
“The second thing is a thing called the levator scapulae stretch.
“Put your right hand up behind your shoulder and put your left hand over your right ear.
“Now push your left ear onto your shoulder for 30 seconds.
“That really stretches those next muscles.”
