What Causes “Tech Neck” and How to Prevent It bölümünün tam dökümü

WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.240 Hey everyone, welcome back. I'm Dr. Hunter Schultz 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:04.519 from 920 Chiropractic Health and Injury Care 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:06.299 here in Green Bay, and today we're talking about 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:08.400 something I see every single day in my office, 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:10.980 tech neck. If you've ever looked down at your 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:12.939 phone and felt that ache at the base of your 00:00:12.939 --> 00:00:15.179 skull or noticed your shoulders creeping up toward 00:00:15.179 --> 00:00:17.379 your ears after a long day at the computer, then 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:20.199 this episode is for you. So what exactly is tech 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:22.420 neck? Let me break this down for you. Your head 00:00:22.420 --> 00:00:24.379 weighs somewhere around 10 to 12 pounds when 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:26.300 it's sitting directly over your shoulders. That's 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:28.920 a lot of weight on its own. But here's what's 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:31.710 interesting. Every inch you push your head forward 00:00:31.710 --> 00:00:34.729 the effective load on your spine increases dramatically 00:00:34.729 --> 00:00:36.890 So if you're looking down at your phone with 00:00:36.890 --> 00:00:39.509 your chin dropped toward your chest The strain 00:00:39.509 --> 00:00:42.210 on your neck can feel like carrying 40 or 50 00:00:42.210 --> 00:00:44.710 pounds on those muscles and joints That's why 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:47.490 you feel so worn out and tight your body is literally 00:00:47.490 --> 00:00:50.159 working overtime just to hold your head up Now 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.759 here's the thing, we live in a world where screens 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:55.859 are everywhere, phones, tablets, laptops, televisions, 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:58.780 we are always looking at something, and most 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:01.039 of the time that something is below eye level. 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:03.479 So over time, the muscles in the back of your 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:05.780 neck get overworked and tight, the muscles in 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:08.680 the front get weak and underused, and the natural 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:12.180 curve of your cervical spine, that gentle forward 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:15.439 curve your neck is supposed to have. starts to 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:18.040 flatten out or even reverse. That's when people 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.980 start feeling not just neck pain, but headaches, 00:01:21.420 --> 00:01:23.799 shoulder tension, and sometimes even tingling 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.019 or numbness down into the arms. You know what 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:28.000 I hear a lot from patients? They say, I don't 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:29.659 even know when it got this bad. And that's the 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:32.060 tricky part about tech neck. It builds slowly. 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:34.859 It doesn't happen overnight. It's the accumulation 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:38.340 of hundreds of hours of poor posture that eventually 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:41.010 shows up as pain. So let's talk about what you 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:43.689 can actually do about it. First, raise your screen, 00:01:44.069 --> 00:01:46.629 whether it's your phone or your computer monitor, 00:01:46.989 --> 00:01:49.349 get it closer to eye level. You shouldn't have 00:01:49.349 --> 00:01:51.730 to drop your chin to see it. If you're working 00:01:51.730 --> 00:01:54.390 at a desk, your monitor should be roughly at 00:01:54.390 --> 00:01:56.969 eye level or just slightly below. This one change 00:01:56.969 --> 00:02:00.569 alone can make a big difference. Second, take 00:02:00.569 --> 00:02:03.730 breaks. Every 30 minutes or so, step away from 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:05.769 your screen, roll your shoulders back, and do 00:02:05.769 --> 00:02:08.340 a simple chin tuck. Here's how that works. Instead 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:10.280 of pushing your chin forward, gently pull it 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.199 straight back like you're trying to make a double 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.599 chin. Hold it for a few seconds, then release. 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:17.500 That movement helps retrain your neck muscles 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:20.280 and reinforces the natural curve of your spine. 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:23.020 Third, strengthen the muscles that hold you upright. 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:25.699 Your deep neck flexors, your mid back muscles, 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:27.860 your rhomboids, these are the ones that keep 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:30.439 your posture in check. Simple exercises like 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:33.199 rows, face pulls, and those chin tucks I mentioned 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:35.659 go a long way. Now when should you come see a 00:02:35.659 --> 00:02:38.139 chiropractor about this? Honestly, sooner rather 00:02:38.139 --> 00:02:40.340 than later. If you're having neck pain that doesn't 00:02:40.340 --> 00:02:42.560 go away after a day or two, headaches that seem 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:44.939 to start at the base of your skull, stiffness 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:47.020 when you try to turn your head, or any tingling 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:49.849 or weakness in your arms, Those are signs that 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:52.189 your spine needs some attention. The earlier 00:02:52.189 --> 00:02:54.789 we address these issues, the better the outcomes 00:02:54.789 --> 00:02:58.569 tend to be. At 920 Chiropractic Health and Injury 00:02:58.569 --> 00:03:00.650 Care, we look at the whole picture, we assess 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:03.229 your posture, your movement, and how your spine 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:05.650 is functioning, and we put together a plan that 00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:08.210 actually makes sense for your life. Tech neck 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:10.669 is one of the most common things we treat, and 00:03:10.669 --> 00:03:13.930 the good news is it responds really well to chiropractic 00:03:13.930 --> 00:03:17.860 care combined with some smart daily habits. Alright, 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.860 that's a wrap for today. Thank you so much for 00:03:19.860 --> 00:03:22.099 tuning in. If you're in the Green Bay area and 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:24.159 you want to get your neck checked out, give us 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.560 a call or visit us at 920 Chiropractic Health 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.960 and Injury Care. We'd love to help you feel better 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.240 and move better. Take care of yourselves and 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:32.219 we'll talk again soon.