With all our time on phones, tablets, and computers, many of us are dealing with a new kind of pain—"tech neck." This is neck pain and stiffness caused by hunching over screens for long periods. Unfortunately, with the resurgence of working from computers and scrolling social media, tech neck has become more popular among the people. The good news? Chiropractic care helps prevent and treat tech neck, bringing relief and getting your neck and spine back to normal.
What is Tech Neck?
Tech neck happens when you’re constantly leaning forward to look at screens. This posture strains the muscles in your neck and upper back, causing pain, headaches, tight shoulders, and even a limited range of motion. If left untreated, it leads to bigger problems like spine degeneration.
How to Prevent Tech Neck
It’s better to prevent tech neck before it becomes a bigger issue. Here are a few simple tips to help:
- Set Up Your Space: Make sure your workspace is set up so you can maintain good posture. Your screen should be at eye level, your back straight, and your chair supportive.
- Take Breaks: Step away from your device every 20-30 minutes to stretch and move around. This helps ease muscle tension.
- Do Neck Exercises: Regularly stretch and strengthen your neck and upper back muscles. This helps keep your neck flexible and strong, countering the effects of tech neck.
How Chiropractic Care Helps
Chiropractors take a whole-body approach to tech neck, focusing on fixing alignment, reducing tension, and improving your spine’s overall health. They use a mix of manual adjustments, exercises, and lifestyle advice to ease your symptoms and keep them from coming back.
- Manual Adjustments: Chiropractors use hands-on techniques to realign your spine, ease joint pain, and nerve issues, and improve mobility. By fixing any misalignments, they reduce the pain and tension from tech neck.
- Therapeutic Exercises: Chiropractors also recommend exercises and stretches to strengthen your neck and upper back muscles. This helps you maintain better posture, increase flexibility, and reduce the chances of tech neck returning.
- Lifestyle Tips: Beyond adjustments and exercises, chiropractors give helpful advice on making your workstation more ergonomic, improving posture, and incorporating more movement into your day.
A Holistic Approach to Wellness
Chiropractic care doesn’t only treat tech neck, but it also focuses on overall wellness. By addressing the root causes of the problem, chiropractors help you improve spinal alignment, balance your muscles, and make better lifestyle choices. This proactive approach helps you reduce the impact of tech neck and feel better in your everyday life.
Tech neck is a common problem in today’s world, but it doesn’t have to take over your life. With a few preventive steps and chiropractic care, relieve and even prevent tech neck, getting back to a comfortable and pain-free life. Taking care of your spine is key to feeling good in a tech-heavy world! If you’re suffering from tech neck or experiencing neck and/or back pain, contact our team at Marshall Chiropractic in Tulsa, OK. We’re happy to help you figure out the best course of action to treat your pain.
