As the world becomes more technology-driven, we find most individuals spend time being glued to a screen or working on it - be it your phone, tablet, laptop, or television our screen time is on a rise, and so is the strain on our muscles which holds our neck.
Anyone reading this article must have experienced at least one episode of neck pain in the past couple of years, let's look at the causes, solutions, and ways to prevent it.
Hold it straight!
In a normal posture - that is head-held straight, neck muscles bear a burden of at least 5.5kgs of skull weight, which can increase to up to 14.5kgs if you just hunch 2 inches ahead & another inch will add another 5 kgs to the already-burdened neck.
How commonly do you find yourself in this posture?
Mindfulness is the key!
Now that you are suffering from neck pain & you have consulted your doctor, and they have provided you with a "temporary solution" of painkillers, rest & ice packs. So you tide over the crisis.
And then comes financial year-end, long working hours, staying awake & working over the system & meeting deadlines. Targets achieved. Hurray!
The next day morning unable to move your neck sideways - you wonder what is the culprit - is it the pillow?
Maybe yes, maybe not.
But the bigger culprit is your posture.
Correct sitting posture should be - monitor at eye-level & slightly tilted, shoulder should be relaxed, elbow & back to rest comfortably, no excessive strain on the wrist with legs being parallel to the floor.
Be Mindful of your posture, this one step can go a long way to decrease neck & back pain.
Ever heard of chin tucks?
So while working long & being mindful you find yourself hunched forward to a system - what is the immediate thing you can do?
The answer is - chin tuck.
It is a simple thing wherein you push your chin back to bring it in line with your neck!
It can also decrease your neck pain & increase the flexibility of your neck.
The 25-5 rule (not yet coined!)
Must have heard about the 20-20-20 rule for eye strain when working in front of the system, here comes 25-5 rule.
Take a 5-minute break every 25 minutes.
Stretch your neck muscles - by forward or backward bending against resistance, sideward bending against resistance (Isometric neck exercise). You can also do exaggerated head nod & side stretch with a massage.
Hold the pose for a few seconds & don't forget to repeat it.
Be consistent in doing it.
So don't let your tech neck/text neck become a pain in your neck & decrease your productivity.