With people spending more than three hours of their free time each day on devices, “tech neck” from poor posture and overuse injuries from scrolling and swiping are growing problems. Studies show 73% of college students and nearly 65% of adults who work from home report having neck or back pain.
Gabrielle Necklen, PT, a physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist at Atlantic Health, and Nellaney O’Brien, OT, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist at Atlantic Health, discuss how tech neck happens and ways to lessen the impact of screen time on your physical health.
How screen time affects your neck, spine and joints
Your head, neck, back and spine work best when stacked on top of one another. But when your eyes become strained from constant screen time, your body adjusts by pushing your head out of alignment. When you hunch forward, you put more pressure on your neck and shoulders. Over time, the soft tissues of your body adapt to stabilize in this unstable position.
“Our eyes get uncomfortable and our bodies contort to make up for it,” says Necklen. “Imagine you had a bowling ball: if you hold it next to you, it feels less heavy than when you hold it in front of you. It’s the same with your head.”
Poor posture and repetitive motions of using your devices can cause symptoms and conditions like:
- Headaches
- Pain or tightness in the neck, upper back, shoulders and jaw
- Loss of range of motion
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- De Quervain’s tendinosis, or pain or swelling on the thumb side of the wrist
- Inflammation or arthritis of the thumb
- Trigger thumb, when the flexor tendon of the thumb becomes irritated, leading to painful “locking”
Left untreated, “tech neck” and overuse can lead to pinched nerves, the development of arthritis and degenerative disc disease.
Simple fixes to prevent tech neck, wrist pain and overuse injuries
Small adjustments to screen time habits can make big impacts on our health. Necklen recommends getting an ergonomic assessment of your desk and setting up your workspace for success:
- Sit with your head and spine stacked over your hips. If available, use a sit-to-stand converter on your desk. Ask a family member or colleague to take a picture of you sitting from the side to check your posture.
- Have your feet flat on the floor, keeping more pressure in your heels than toes. If needed, use a footstool.
- Keep your wrists straight and your elbows bent to 90 degrees.
- Position your monitor 20-30 inches from your eyes.
- Use a laptop stand to raise your screen to a 15-degree angle down from your eyes. Modify your screen to account for glare or lighting.
- Set a timer to remind yourself to stand up and walk around, even for just a few seconds, to give your body some relief.
While holding your phone, keep your hand and wrist aligned in a neutral position. Do not overly flex or extend the wrist. You can also use a phone stand to relieve pressure on your wrist and hand. Features like talk-to-text can eliminate some repetitive motions of the thumb and wrist. And just like sitting at your desk, take frequent breaks while texting and scrolling.
“Try to focus on keeping the wrist and hand in a neutral position while incorporating these modifications. Even one of these adjustments can improve pain,” says O’Brien. “But if you continue to have pain that impacts your quality of life or how you do everyday tasks, reach out and escalate care.”
During physical or occupational therapy, your care team assesses your posture, range of motion and strength to identify your individual deficits. Then, they work with you on stretching and strengthening exercises to correct any misalignment.
“There’s no blueprint for how we treat patients,” Necklen says. “Treatment is tailored for you.”
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