Three exercises to undo your tech neck!

As a clinical instructor with UBC I often have physiotherapy students in the clinic. My most recent student Ryan has been kind enough to write a blog post for today:

Tech-Neck: we’ve all experienced it.

A sore neck from being stooped over and staring far too long into our screens.

Maybe you’re adapting to working from home in a Covid-19 world, working from a laptop instead of something more ergonomic.

Maybe you’re just binge watching the latest hit Netflix series from your iPhone.

Either way, we often don’t realize our poor postural habits until the pain starts to creep in.

Luckily, we can address these habits and get you back to living your best life, pain free!

Here are three exercises to undo your tech neck!

1)     Chin Tuck – While seated, draw your head backward so that it is situated overtop of your shoulders. It is important to make sure that your chin remains tucked (as if making a double chin), rather than looking up towards the ceiling. Be tall - imagine a string is pulling you up from the top of your head as you tuck your chin and draw it backwards. This should feel like a gentle stretch. Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times.

2)     Supported Neck Extensions – Place your hands on your upper traps to stabilize your neck. Then, slowly look up towards the ceiling as far back as you can go. Once at your end range, gently return your head to the starting position. Repeat 10 times

3)     Cobra – Start this exercise laying on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Begin by tucking your chin, then gently draw your head and then chest off the ground to engage your neck and upper back muscles. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arms off of the ground. Hold at the top for 5 seconds before slowly lowering back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.