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If you’ve ever felt that dull ache at the base of your skull after scrolling your phone or hunching over a computer, you may be dealing with tech neck — and you’re far from alone. Dr. Hunter Schultz of 920 Chiropractic Health & Injury Care in Green Bay breaks down exactly what tech neck is, including the surprising amount of stress even a slight head tilt puts on your spine.
In this episode, Dr. Schultz walks listeners through the most common causes of tech neck and the warning signs that it’s progressing beyond simple muscle soreness. You’ll come away with practical, actionable strategies to adjust your posture, your workspace, and your daily habits to protect your neck and spine long-term.
Whether you work at a desk all day or just can’t put your phone down, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to stay ahead of one of the most common complaints seen in chiropractic offices today.
Hey everyone, welcome back. I’m Doctor Hunter Schultz from nine twenty Chiropractic Health and Injury Care here in Green Bay, and today we’re talking about something I see every single day in my office. Tech neck. If you’ve ever looked down at your phone and felt that ache at the base of your skull, or noticed your shoulders creeping up toward your ears after a long day at the computer — this episode is for you.
So what exactly is tech neck? Let me break this down for you. Your head weighs somewhere around ten to twelve pounds when it’s sitting directly over your shoulders. That’s a lot of weight on its own. But here’s what’s interesting — every inch you push your head forward, the effective load on your spine increases dramatically. So if you’re looking down at your phone with your chin dropped toward your chest, the strain on your neck can feel like carrying forty or fifty pounds on those muscles and joints. That’s why you feel so worn out and tight. Your body is literally working overtime just to hold your head up.
Now, here’s the thing. We live in a world where screens are everywhere. Phones, tablets, laptops, televisions — we are always looking at something. And most of the time, that something is below eye level. So over time, the muscles in the back of your neck get overworked and tight, the muscles in the front get weak and underused, and the natural curve of your cervical spine — that gentle forward curve your neck is supposed to have — starts to flatten out or even reverse. That’s when people start feeling not just neck pain, but headaches, shoulder tension, and sometimes even tingling or numbness down into the arms.
You know what I hear a lot from patients? They say, I don’t even know when it got this bad. And that’s the tricky part about tech neck. It builds slowly. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the accumulation of hundreds of hours of poor posture that eventually shows up as pain.
So let’s talk about what you can actually do about it. First — raise your screen. Whether it’s your phone or your computer monitor, get it closer to eye level. You shouldn’t have to drop your chin to see it. If you’re working at a desk, your monitor should be roughly at eye level or just slightly below. This one change alone can make a big difference.
Second — take breaks. Every thirty minutes or so, step away from your screen, roll your shoulders back, and do a simple chin tuck. Here’s how that works — instead of pushing your chin forward, gently pull it straight back, like you’re trying to make a double chin. Hold it for a few seconds, then release. That movement helps retrain your neck muscles and reinforces the natural curve of your spine.
Third — strengthen the muscles that hold you upright. Your deep neck flexors, your mid-back muscles, your rhomboids — these are the ones that keep your posture in check. Simple exercises like rows, face pulls, and those chin tucks I mentioned go a long way.
Now, when should you come see a chiropractor about this? Honestly — sooner rather than later. If you’re having neck pain that doesn’t go away after a day or two, headaches that seem to start at the base of your skull, stiffness when you try to turn your head, or any tingling or weakness in your arms — those are signs that your spine needs some attention. The earlier we address these issues, the better the outcomes tend to be.
At nine twenty Chiropractic Health and Injury Care, we look at the whole picture. We assess your posture, your movement, and how your spine is functioning, and we put together a plan that actually makes sense for your life.
Tech neck is one of the most common things we treat, and the good news is — it responds really well to chiropractic care combined with some smart daily habits.
Alright, that’s a wrap for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you’re in the Green Bay area and you want to get your neck checked out, give us a call or visit us at nine twenty Chiropractic Health and Injury Care. We’d love to help you feel better and move better. Take care of yourselves, and we’ll talk again soon.
