Tech Neck

A guide to relieving the aches and pains from portable technology.

Head posture

Portable technology – mobiles/tablets/laptops – are not designed with our posture in mind. As a consequence, we tend to adjust ourselves, which leads to poor postural habits and pain.
Tip 1: Pause. Position yourself into a good posture. During the day you will often find yourself slouching, that is normal, take a deep breath and readjust.
Tip 2: Bring the device up and lower your eyes. Do not compromise your neck. Try using additional support such as headphones so you can be hands-free and stand tall or try an external keyboard so you can raise your screen height and sit tall.
Tip 3: Schedule short breaks to complete the following exercises.

Try tilting your head forwards and feel the muscle tension in your neck and upper back

Neck Exercises

Perform these seated movements EVERY hour. Hold every movement for 10 seconds.

Chin tuck

Peck forward like a chicken, then draw the chin inward and lift the crown of your head. Hold for 10sec. Repeat x5. Follow the cogs in the diagram and look to create a double chin.

Shoulder rolls

Finish by rolling your shoulders backwards. Think big circles. Repeat x5.
Try matching your breath with the movement. Breathe in as you raise the shoulders and breathe out as you circle around the bottom.

Tuck, roll and sit tall

Once you establish these exercise habits try holding your head so your ears are over your shoulders. The chin tuck and shoulder roll methods can have positive affects all the way down your musculoskeletal chain to your feet.

Back to Balance

If your body looses out and you end up with aches and pains here is a tip to redress the balance

Blame Isaac Newton

Without gravity we would not feel the weight of our head on our neck. Redress the balance by laying on your back, flat on the floor for 10 – 20min after a day’s work. It’s a yoga pose called savasana and it’s the least your body deserves for keeping you upright all day.

The tip here is to deliberately relax your jaw.
Once you have allowed your body and mind to decompress, I highly recommend a light bit of exercise. If you have been sitting all day, stand up and walk/jog or dance to your favorite tune.

Additional Tips

Changes in posture occur by changing habits. You can use your hands as drivers of better posture by turning your palms towards the ceiling when you are not typing. Feel how it opens the chest and lowers the shoulders. Instant good posture. They call this a life hack.

Squeeze-release. Try squeezing your buttocks, feel how your sitting bones float off the chair, then release your grip on an out breath. Perhaps try squeezing your shoulder blades together, feel how it opens up your chest, again release on an out breath. Repeat anywhere on the body.