Let’s face it… whether for business or pleasure, most of us spend an inordinate amount of time looking at our phones (and our computers!). Aside from the obvious social and mental health implications of disappearing into the electronic world, there is a significant impact on your body as well.
It may manifest as a stiff neck, tension in your shoulders, an ache in your back between your shoulder blades, or a dull headache that starts at the base of your skull. If this sounds familiar, you are likely dealing with something called tech neck.
How and why does this happen?
Your head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds when it’s sitting anatomically balanced on top of your spine, and your neck and shoulder muscles are structurally made for holding it upright. With this bowling ball on top of our bodies, it’s no surprise neck control is the very first thing babies learn to master!
But every time you tip your head forward to look at your phone or hunch toward your laptop, that weight
multiplies. For every inch forward, your neck is working to support an additional 10 pounds! So bending your head 3 inches forwards, which is just midrange in forward head posture, your muscles have to hold 40+ lbs of force. Do that for hours a day, every day, and your muscles never get the memo to relax. And it impacts your spine, too.
The muscles that take the hit are the neck and shoulder muscles that most of our clients complain about. Your upper trapezius. Your levator scapulae. Those little suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull. They tighten up, form trigger points, and start referring pain into your head and shoulders. It’s not your imagination. It’s not “just stress.” It’s your body responding to hours of forward head posture.
The good news? You have the power to change this! This is exactly the kind of pattern massage therapy is built to interrupt. Deep tissue work and trigger point therapy get into those specific tight spots and actually release them, not just for the hour you’re on the table, but in a way that adds up over a series of sessions. Pair that wit h a few posture resets during your day (screen at eye level, shoulder blade squeezes, a stretch break every 20 minutes) and you’ve got a real plan, not just a temporary fix.
If you’re reading this on your phone or even your computer, check your posture now. How far forward is your head? See if you can change the position of your screen so your head aligns back over your spine. Maybe give yourself a stretch!
And if you’re feeling that Tech Neck tension, book a massage with us. We can help release those overworked muscles so you can start standing pain free and tall once more!
Take care, and keep your head upright!