Tech Neck and Its Impact on Health

How tech neck contributes to chronic neck pain and explore effective chiropractic strategies for relief

Neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability, affecting 30% of the working population. Alarmingly, nearly half of those with neck pain continue to experience persistent or recurrent discomfort. Common causes of neck pain include acute trauma, elevated systemic inflammation, and structural changes.

“Tech neck,” also known as “text neck” or “nerd neck,” refers to the forward head posture resulting from prolonged bending toward screens or hunching over laptops. This posture is not only linked to neck pain but also to reduced respiratory function and balance. Additional effects include tight neck muscles, limited neck motion, headaches, back pain, and even jaw pain.

At Chiropractic Health and Wellness, we specialize in assessing and correcting structural changes of the spine. Ideally, your ears should align with your shoulders when viewed from the side, placing the head’s weight on the spine at around 10-14 pounds. However, with forward head posture, this effective weight can increase up to four times, nearing 50 pounds.

Chiropractic Biophysics offers a solution to tech neck by correcting the spine’s structure. This technique involves chiropractic adjustments to enhance spinal mobility and alleviate pain, specific postural exercises targeting weak and tight muscles in the neck and mid-back, and Mirror Image Traction to modify the connective tissue supporting the spine and improve neck curvature.

Tech neck can result in chronic neck pain with only short periods of relief. Adopting a corrective approach to restore proper neck curvature not only manages pain and its associated symptoms but also prevents recurrence. If you are experiencing tech neck, a comprehensive exam, including a postural assessment, is the crucial first step toward effective treatment. Schedule your appointment today!