WHAT IS IT?
neck pain caused by sustained forward head posture from sitting and staring at a screen for too long IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS TECH NECK. But it's rarely just the neck that's involved. The muscles at the back of the neck get overloaded and tight while the chest and pec muscles shorten and pull the shoulders forward, creating a pattern that feeds itself the longer you sit. Most people try to stretch their neck and wonder why nothing changes. The answer is usually that the whole upper body needs to be addressed, not just where it hurts.
common symptoms and signs
pain or tightness at the base of the skull or back of the neck
stiffness that makes it hard to turn your head fully
tension headaches that start at the back of the head
tightness or pulling across the chest and front of the shoulders
aching between the shoulder blades
pain that gets worse after long periods of sitting or screen time
a feeling of heaviness or fatigue in the neck and upper back
Who is a good fit?
you're someone who wants to understand what's going on in your body and actually do something about it. We work best with people who are ready to be an active part of their recovery, not just lie on a table and hope for the best.
NECK PAIN
Ready to get back to moving?
Book an appointment and we'll figure out what's going on and how to fix it.
why does this happen?
Tech neck shows up in desk workers, students, and really anyone spending long hours looking at a screen. It's one of the most common things we see because modern life basically guarantees it. The average head weighs around 10 pounds. For every inch it shifts forward, the load on the neck roughly doubles. Hours of that every day adds up fast.
It's not just office workers either. People who look down at their phones constantly, work from laptops on a couch, or spend long hours driving are all set up for the same pattern. The body adapts to the position you put it in most often, and for a lot of people that position is head forward and chest caved.
how we treat it
We start with a movement exam to assess where the restriction and weakness are coming from in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. Treatment includes cupping, IASTM, and dry needling to address the overworked muscles at the back of the neck and the tight chest and pec muscles pulling everything forward. Mid-back mobility is a big piece of this too. Then we progressively load the deep neck flexors and postural muscles so your body can actually hold itself up without relying on tension to do the job.