Has anyone else been putting more hours in at work, than they did at traditional office settings. Not only has this been tiring us out but has also taken a toll on our joints. If you’ve been using your computer more than usual and experiencing neck pain, you might be victim to tech neck. 

Tech neck, or technology-related neck pain, is the buildup of physical stress on the neck area. The muscles in your neck work to hold your head up when you’re working on your computer or looking down at your phone. The more you look down, the more work the neck puts in. Once the neck is overly tired, tech neck is introduced. 

Most people experience the pains after hovering over screens for hours, practicing poor posture or physically looking down at something for too long.

The result: headaches, neck spasms, and sore shoulder joints. To help relieve the pain and avoid tech neck in general, follow the below tips.

Recline away

Most people have been told that tech neck is caused by lack of good posture and to fix it, one should sit up straight when working. This is a horrible myth. When you sit up straight, you put a lot of force on the disks in the lower back and the muscles in the back of the head are forced to contract, to hold up the head. When you lean back, part of the weight goes onto the chair, instead of straight down your spine. We recommend reclining 25-30 degrees with a good lumbar support (cushion or pillow) to prevent slouching. 

Get up and move frequently

Regardless of how often you recline, you should not work for hours on end without getting up. Experts recommend moving every 30 to 60 minutes for at least a minute. It will help the blood circulate and give the neck a different position to focus on. 

Stand while you work

Speaking of getting up, why not stay up. If you are not in a position to purchase a standing desk, elevate your laptop or computer and stand at a table to do your work. This is the best way to relax all muscles. 

Aerobic exercises

To keep the back of your neck healthy, engage in weekly aerobic exercises. Swimming, running, fast walking, elliptical, stationary bikes are all good ways to get the heart rate up while using very little force on the neck.