In a time where screens and devices are used constantly throughout everyday life, a new condition known as “tech neck” has developed and is here to stay. Between scrolling on our phones to working on laptops, the repeated stooping of your head and hunching of your shoulders can lead to long-term implications such as muscle pain from poor posture awareness and nerve damage caused by the deterioration of the neck vertebrae. Find out more about tech neck and see how physical therapy can help!
Symptoms
It’s critical to identify the symptoms of tech neck early and either seek treatment or alter the behaviors that contributed to your tech neck in the first place. If left untreated, tech neck can result in more severe symptoms. Below are the most common symptoms:
- Chronic neck pain
- Numbness or tingling in your fingers, arm or hands
- Radiating pain down one side of your neck, shoulder blade, or arm
- Sudden weakness in your arm or hand
- Stiffness or sore neck
How Physical Therapy Can Help
Physical therapists are able to identify any posture issues you are experiencing and can provide individualized treatment options based on your needs. There are a variety of methods to help alleviate any pain caused by tech neck including specific exercises and manual techniques such as dry needling and cupping.
Tech Neck Prevention
While totally avoiding the use of technology devices is out of the question for most people, there are some general modifications you can do to help reduce your risk of tech neck and any long-term health consequences that may come with it. Here are a few tips you can try:
- Take breaks from your phone
- Keep devices at eye level when in use
- Incorporate shoulder and neck stretches throughout your day
- Keep your shoulder blades back when looking at your phone, tablet or laptop
If you are experiencing pain caused by tech neck schedule an appointment at Southern Rehab and get relief! A doctor’s referral is not required for physical therapy.
