Tech Neck

July 10, 2020

In a neutral posture, the neck (or cervical section of the spine) has a natural curve forward toward the throat and away from the back. This type of curve is known as a lordotic curve, or lordosis. The low back (or lumbar spine) is also lordotic, curving forward. In contrast, the mid-back (or thoracic spine) curves backward and away from the body.

Anterior Head Syndrome, aka Text Neck, describes the resting neck posture of someone whose head is held forward (or anterior) of it’s neutral position. When this occurs, the head actually becomes heavier relative to the rest of the body - because the body has to do that much more work to stay upright. At 15 degrees forward, the demand required to keep the head up increases 125%. At 30 degrees, it’s more than 300%.

Spending time on devices - for most of us - is inevitable. You can mitigate the effects of “text neck” by bringing devices up to eye level, and by using a secondary monitor or keyboard for longer stretches of device-use.