How Your Smartphone May Impact Your Posture

Believe it or not, many of us spend 3 hours or more per day on our smartphones. That adds up to over 1,000 hours each year!

And the positions we tend to hold our heads in while using our devices can be, well... damaging. You are damaging to your posture and damaging to your spine.

It’s not surprising that over the past few years, an uptick in these awkward positions has led to an uptick in head and neck pain.

It's estimated that tilting your head forward, even just 15 degrees, can triple the weight of your head on your neck. Tilting your head forward 60 degrees can increase the stress and strain on your neck ten times over.

Repeating this forward head posture repeatedly can result in pain, stiffness, dysfunction, headaches, and more - a group of symptoms often referred to as “Tech Neck.”

The good news about postural stress and “Tech Neck” is that simple routine changes can help reduce your risk of experiencing pain.

Here’s what you need to know:

• “Tech Neck” is the term used to describe the flexed head and neck position that occurs when looking down at your smartphone.
• Just 15 degrees of forward bending can increase the stress of your head on your neck three times over.
• Taking breaks every 15 minutes and looking up from your phone or tablet can help your body reset and give your muscles a chance to relax.

Reducing your “Tech Neck” symptoms involves more than just changing the angle you look at your phone.

Proper ergonomics and regular stretching and exercise all play significant roles in helping you continue to enjoy your favorite devices without those nagging pains.

If you’ve been living with “Tech Neck” and are ready to take action, you’ve come to the right place!

Our expert team is prepared to help evaluate your ergonomics and provide a plan of action complete with personalized recommendations that will help make it easy for you to maintain a more balanced posture for years to come.

Science Sources:

Effects of Trapezius Strengthening on Posture. Med Sci Monit. 2020.

Back Health and Posture. Cleveland Clinic. 2020.

"Tech Neck" Taking a Toll on Posture. Columbia Spine. 2018.

Breaking up Workplace Sitting Time. Occup Environ Med. 2014.

Why Being Flexible is Great for Your Health. Healthline. 2020.

Forward Head Posture and Neck Pain. Curr Rev Musculoskel Med. 2019.

Guide to Good Posture. Medline Plus. 2020.

Upright Posture Improves Effect and Fatigue. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2017.

Prevalence of Forward Head Posture. IJERHS. 2019.