Your Laptop and Cell Phone Are Giving You a Hunchback

As a writer I spend a lot of time massaging my neck and shoulders. Anyone who works on a computer all day can probably relate. Stiffness, tension, pain, we’re familiar with all of them. I’ve noticed a lump at the base of my neck, but until recently was able to convince myself it was just my spine I was feeling. My neck vertebrae. And that’s true, but you know what they say about denial.

I’m developing a dowager’s hump.

Put your hand on the back of your neck. Do you feel a lump at the base? That’s called a dowager’s hump, which isn’t fair to old women since it applies to everyone these days. There are a few causes unrelated to but exacerbated by digital devices, such as osteoporosis, but laptops and cell phones are helping it to form in younger people and making it worse for everyone. It’s also called tech neck for obvious reasons, and as I’m a mid-fifties woman, it’s a term I prefer for, again, obvious reasons. The official, medical term is kyphosis.

It’s fairly easy to identify without a doctor’s visit. Stand normally and ask someone to take a picture of you in profile. Does your upper back curve a lot? Does your head tilt forward? Are your shoulders too rounded? If you spend a lot of time looking down it’s likely you have it, even if it’s in early or moderate stages. Most of us don’t have great posture and this doesn’t help. At all.

The good news is that it can be corrected or largely mitigated, and none of the corrective measures are hard to do. You just have to do them regularly and give it time to get results. You aren’t going to quickly get rid of a problem that took years to create. You also might not have spectacular results, but you can absolutely guarantee that the hump won’t get worse. Please keep in mind that I’m not a medical professional and you should consult one if you feel this is a significant problem.

Exercise

Exercises that strengthen the muscles in the upper back help keep the shoulders and neck in proper alignment.

Pectoral and upper back stretches keep muscles loose and also help strengthen them.

Take 10 seconds to tilt your head back and look up at the ceiling several times a day.

Yoga. Yoga fixes everything. Or close enough.

Posture

Perfect posture is actually working against you, according to Dr. K. Daniel Riew of New York Presbyterian Hospital. He recommends sitting back in your chair at a 25-30 degree angle while using a lumbar support.

“When you sit with your back straight, you not only put a lot of force on the discs in your lower back, but the muscles in the back of the neck have to contract to hold the head up. So, if you sit straight up for hours, you may end up with both back and neck pain.”

Screen Height

Staring at a laptop that’s flat on your desk means you’re tilting your head forward to stare down at the screen. You want the middle of the screen to be at eye level. This is going to mean using a laptop stand or monitor riser. Frankly, a box or stack of books works. I taped up an empty Amazon box and used that until I got both a monitor riser and an adjustable height stand that I often use as a standup desk. (warning: that’s an affiliate link. I love that product very much and it’s made a huge difference in my health)

Honestly, I don’t know what to recommend for staring down at a cell phone, except to try doing it less. It’s awkward holding up a phone at eye level, but if you can, you should. I’m still working on this.