"Text Neck": How Phones Are Changing Our Posture

Your head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. When you look down at your phone, the muscles at the back of your neck have to work much harder to hold it. Do that for hours a day and stiffness, headaches and rounded shoulders follow.

Signs of text neck

• Stiffness at the base of the skull
• Aching between the shoulder blades
• Headaches by late afternoon
• Shoulders that look rounded forward in photos

Simple fixes

• Raise the phone closer to eye level instead of dropping your head
• Use voice notes or calls for long conversations instead of typing
• Chin tucks: gently draw your chin back 10 times, a few times a day
• Doorway chest stretch: place forearms on a door frame and lean through gently for 30 seconds
• The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds

At night

Use a pillow that keeps your neck in line with your spine. Avoid scrolling while lying on your side with your neck bent.

Professional help

Tight neck and upper back muscles respond well to a focused back, neck & shoulder massage. Many guests combine it with an Indian head massage.

If neck pain comes with tingling in the arms, dizziness or follows an injury, please see a doctor first.