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Technology is a Real Pain in The Neck

86 views · Published 15 March 2016 · 1:16 · Indexed 6 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2016 · Science & Technology

We all recognize when someone’s texting. That familiar constant downward-looking gaze is actually putting a tremendous strain on your neck muscles.

“A lot of the things we’re doing with electronic devices have us in positions that are pretty unnatural for us,” says Dr. Andrew Gross, a pain management specialist on the Lee Memorial Health System medical staff.

It’s even been labeled “text neck”, and physicians say they’re seeing it a lot, especially in teenagers and older adolescents.

“The biggest problem you see is people constantly staring downward, people constantly hunched over, that creates a lot of stiffness,” says Dr. Gross.

When your spine is in straight and in a neutral position, your head only weighs about 10 pounds. But as you lean and hunch over - in classic texting position – the weight on your spine increases to between 50-60 pounds. That increased load can do a lot of damage over time.

“Doing exercises like stretching in the doorway or just doing neck pushes to try to get your neck to extend fully back or really practicing good posture with the shoulders back where they’re almost straight across from each other,” says Dr. Gross.

Physicians also recommend Pilates or yoga to ease a pain in the neck by getting everything back in line.

View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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Technology is a Real Pain in The Neck

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