For all the amazing things that contemporary digital devices can do, going easy on your body isn’t a strong suit. Depending on your typing style, fingers and thumbs can suffer from soft tissue injuries, and even the twist of a wrist needed to hold your smartphone can lead to inflammation and pain.
Perhaps the biggest ergonomic challenge posed by laptops, smartphones, and tablets is a pain condition called tech neck. It’s a problem that the neck pain specialists at Doctors United in the Bronx, White Plains, Ardsley, and Yonkers, New York, see more frequently.
For flat devices like smartphones and tablets, design impacts the way your body interacts when viewing and typing. With screens and keyboards on the same plane, there’s a conflict between entering and seeing your data.
In a conventional desktop computer situation, the screen and keyboard are on two planes: vertical and horizontal, at roughly a 90-degree angle. You can view your monitor and enter data on a keyboard in a way that’s more natural for the human body to work.
Viewing and typing on a single plane demands physical compromise. Either you hold your flat device at eye level — very tiring for your arms — or you lower your head to view the screen, a pose that’s easier to hold for extended times.
Although it’s easier, it forces muscles and soft tissue to bear the strain of supporting your head. You won’t notice a problem in 10 minutes, but tech neck may emerge in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
When you consider that tipping your head forward to an angle of 45 degrees forces the muscles of your neck and shoulders to support the equivalent of about 50 pounds of weight, it’s easy to see how tech neck can start.
The best solution for tech neck is preventing it from starting. Consider these five strategies to minimize the impact of your digital devices.
Though you might think of posture as it relates to sitting or standing, it’s a dynamic condition of your body. You always have posture, and it moves through balanced and unbalanced states.
Simply, posture is in balance when your ears, shoulders, and hips form a straight line that’s perpendicular to the ground. Preserving this relationship when using any digital device is key to avoiding tech neck.
Your body isn’t at its best when it’s in static positions for long periods. Your joints and muscles thrive on movement. When you’re using digital devices, take breaks about every 20 minutes to change your posture and flex your joints. Set a timer if your focus tends to distract you from the passage of time.
Seek out exercises and stretches that you can do easily in place to strengthen the muscles that support your back, head, and neck.
Even conventional two-plane computer workstations can contribute to tech neck. Whenever possible, keep an eyes-forward posture. Add ergonomic seating, device supports, and accessory keyboards to achieve these goals.
Contact the team at Doctors United at our most convenient location when tech neck pain emerges. Book your appointment with our nearest office by phone or online today to return to pain-free living.
