Tech neck — also called text neck — happens when you spend hours with your head tilted forward and down toward screens. Your head weighs about 10-12 pounds when balanced on your spine. But for every inch it moves forward, the effective weight on your neck muscles doubles.
At the typical phone-looking angle of 45-60 degrees, your neck muscles are supporting the equivalent of 50-60 pounds. All day. Every day.
The average person looks at their phone 58 times per day. Combined with computer work, many people spend 8-10 hours daily with their head forward. The spine simply wasn't designed for this.
Signs of Tech Neck
Neck pain — Chronic aching at the base of the skull
Shoulder tightness — Muscles overworking to support head
Upper back pain — Between shoulder blades
Headaches — Tension headaches from muscle strain
Reduced mobility — Difficulty looking up or turning head
Forward head posture — Visible postural change over time
Long-Term Consequences
Without intervention, tech neck progresses:
Permanent postural changes
Disc degeneration in cervical spine
Nerve compression
Chronic pain conditions
Reduced lung capacity (from rounded posture)
The good news: caught early, tech neck is reversible with regular breaks and corrective exercises.
How Breaks Help
Regular breaks interrupt the forward head position:
Allow overworked muscles to rest
Provide opportunities to reset posture
Time for corrective stretches and exercises
Prevent cumulative damage from sustained position
Build awareness of posture throughout the day
Tech Neck Corrective Exercises
Chin tucks — Pull chin straight back (making a "double chin"), hold 5 seconds
Neck extensions — Look up at ceiling, hold gently
Corner stretch — Face corner, forearms on walls, lean forward to stretch chest
Shoulder blade squeezes — Pull shoulders back and down, squeeze shoulder blades
Thoracic extensions — Roll a towel, place behind upper back, gently arch over it