Do you feel incredible tension and tightness in your neck and shoulders? You could be suffering from text neck! Try these stretching exercises to relieve the pressure.
People spend approximately five hours every day looking at their phones, and that doesn’t include time spent sitting at home completing work or school during the pandemic.
According to a study from Alcon/Ipsos poll, a majority of Americans admit they have been spending more time on their smart/mobile phones (59%), watching television (59%), or in front of a computer screen (55%) since the pandemic began. Researchers say we’re averaging about 13 hours a day of screentime, which adds up to 4,866 hours each year
Not surprisingly, younger adults (those under the age of 35), are especially more likely to spend more time on screens versus those over 55. I have seen both my children spend a significant amount of time on their screens, even after school is done.
Unfortunately, this screen time has a cost in terms of physical (not to mention mental) health.
Effects of More Screen Time
Text neck is a modern age term coined by US chiropractor Dr. DL Fishman to describe repeated stress injury and pain in the neck resulting from excessive watching or texting on hand held devices over a sustained period of time. It is also known as Turtle Neck posture or anterior head syndrome. This could lead to more tension headaches or even jaw pain.
Tilting the head forward to 15 degrees places about 27 pounds of force on the neck. This increases to 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees. Damage caused by untreated text neck can be similar to occupational overuse syndrome or repetitive stress/strain injury.
Researchers at Harvard Medical Health predict that 7 out of 10 people will experience neck aches at some point in their lives.
Our necks are not the only victims in screen time scenarios.
According to Dr. Erin Policelli, founder of Stretch Kinetics, prolonged sitting creates a situation of myofascial tightness, joint malalignment, muscle weakness and overall instability culminating in pain and dysfunction.
Not to mention that you can be sitting “wrong” in your home office, where you do not have the benefits of ergonomic chairs, and may be sitting on a couch, bed, or other type of seat. Some sitting positions that may be putting extra strain on the back could include sitting slumped to the side, crossing your legs or ankles, and sitting in one position for a long time.
Poor posture is super important, but many of us refuse to acknowledge potential long-term effects of it. These long-term effects of poor posture include:
- Exacerbated arthritis
- Poor circulation (varicose veins)
- Increased fatigue
- Poor mood and focus
- Restricted breath
- Sexual dysfunction
And you thought wearing high heels to the office was bad on your back!
I have been working from home for several years now as a holistic coach and speaker, and the pandemic has increased my screen time significantly as I coach folks over the phone and deliver seminars via Zoom. Unfortunately, having my husband and children also in the home at least 3-5 days each week means I have to shift where my “office” is based on family needs (and WiFi connection).
My home office is technically in my bedroom, and since that is the quietest room, that is where I typically coach clients. Yet, many of my other work-related activities, such as blogging, social media marketing and responding to inquires, can happen anywhere from my favorite reading chair to the basement rocking chair to my kitchen table.
Similarly, my poor husband will take his conference calls either from the downstairs desk (when he needs the quiet from us) or upstairs from the kitchen table (when it’s not lunch).
My children tend to flow from their bedrooms to a dedicated “school space” table to laying on the floor. While shifting from one place to another can be helpful from a text neck and poor posture standpoint, it can also cause different sorts of aches and pains.
There are 2 ways to address text neck and poor posture when working and learning from home. The first is to set up an ergonomic space, and the second is to incorporate stretching exercises.
Set up an Ergonomic Space
These ergonomic home office tips are from Computer World. As there are entire departments at large companies that focus on ergonomic principles, these are just the basics!
Work height
Your space needs a desk or table that is at work height. The industry standard is 29 inches from the floor to the top of the work surface. You will confirm the correct work height when your forearms are parallel to the ground when sitting up tall and your wrist is not bent up or down when you type or mouse.
Computer monitor height
Your monitor should line up so that if you look straight ahead when sitting straight, your eyes are at a height of 25% to 30% below the top of the screen. To get the proper height, you’ll likely need a riser for the monitor. Or, you can stack books underneath your monitor.
Good chair
Dining chairs and deck chairs are rarely at the right height, and they don’t always encourage the needed upright posture (sad face). Ideally, your chair should have adjustable height, can roll, and provides lumbar support for the lower back. Bonus if it also has adjustable seat pan tilt, arm height, and lateral arm position.
Some good options I use at home are a cardio core ball or variations that range from $20-$150 (I use a basic one for $40) or one I’m crushing on is a kneeling chair. In particular, if you don’t want the cost of a full chair, you can opt for a disc or cushion to put on your non-rolling chair that requires you to use your core muscles.
Stretching Exercises to do in your Office
Aside from setting up a more ergonomic environment for your home office, you can also focus on simple stretching exercises that counteract the tension imposed by text neck and poor posture.
Neck Exercises
- Exaggerated nod
- Chin tuck
Here is a video from physical therapist Jared Brown describing proper form for 3 different types of chin tucks.
Shoulder exercises
The more weight you put on your neck, the more you tend to hunch or change the position of your shoulders. Use these simple stretching exercises to release tightness.
- Downward dog
- Bow pose
- Chest opening
- Corner stretch
- Wall reach
Check out this graphic from Popsugar on other wall stretches to release tension in your shoulders and back.
Finally, even 10 minutes of yoga can go a long way in combating text neck and shoulder tension- either at the end of your work day, or during an hourly break. Here is a quick 10 minute text neck routine from Yoga with Adriene.
There are a number of ways you can address both text neck and poor posture from sitting down all day. Take a moment to do one of the simple stretching routines or even yoga for text neck, and you will experience fewer headaches, tightness in your neck and shoulders, and improved blood circulation and mood.