Take a look around any waiting room or bus and you will see the same posture: heads tilted down, eyes on a phone. This position, repeated for hours every day, is the cause of what we now call 'tech neck'.
When you tilt your head forward to look at a screen, the effective load on your neck rises sharply. Hold that posture for hours and the muscles fatigue, the joints stiffen, and pain or headaches often follow.
The first fix is awareness. Try to bring your phone up towards eye level instead of dropping your head down to it. It feels small, but it dramatically reduces the strain.
Next, take regular breaks. Every 20 to 30 minutes, look up, roll your shoulders back and gently move your neck through its range. This keeps the joints and muscles from locking into one position.
Simple strengthening for the deep neck muscles also helps your posture hold up naturally, rather than relying on willpower alone.
If you already have persistent neck stiffness, headaches starting at the base of your skull, or pain spreading into your shoulders, it is worth getting assessed. Physiotherapy can relieve the strain and teach you how to keep it from coming back.
