The five stretches that will cure your tech neck

The good news is that you don't have to put up with discomfort or let bad habits become permanent. With a handful of simple, expert-backed stretches and exercises, you can start to reverse the effects of screen time, ease upper back and neck strain, and restore a healthy posture. These moves are designed to help you feel better and move more freely while protecting your body for the future – no matter how much time you spend in front of a screen.

Most of us are aware that sitting in an awkward position can put pressure on the neck, shoulders and spine. "The problems with 'tech neck' are down to your neck being held in one position for too long," says Lucy Macdonald, physiotherapist at Restart Physio and spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. "This is normally in a 'flexed' position, with the head dropped forwards and downwards. It results in pain in the middle or both sides of the neck, but can also be focused more on one side if your head is habitually rotated towards a screen."

Extension of your atlanto-occipital joint (where the skull and neck meet, which occurs when you're flexing your head forwards to look down at a screen) can cause musculoskeletal problems: "This is when compensation occurs at the upper cervical spine, creating tension in the base of your neck," says chartered physiotherapist Sammy Margo of Smart Physio. "[Tech neck] can result in 'cervical lordosis', which is when the natural curve of the neck flattens or reverses, increasing stress on the vertebrae that make up the neck region of the spine."

Muscular imbalances may also occur, including overactive and/or tight muscles and inhibited and/or weak muscles. Headaches and other health problems can also result from tech neck: "It can affect multiple body systems beyond just musculoskeletal pain, including sleep and fatigue, respiratory dysfunction and reduced cerebral blood flow (reduced flow to the brain)," Sammy says.

Five moves to sort out your posture and relieve upper back strain:

1. Deep neck flexor strengthening

Exercise: chin tucks (cranio-cervical flexion)
• Lie supine (horizontally, facing up) with your head in a neutral position
• Gently draw your chin towards your throat, creating a 'double chin'
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, progressing to 30 seconds
• Completely three sets of eight to 12 repetitions

What's it good for? Significant improvements in deep neck flexor endurance (the group of muscles at the front of the neck, which are crucial for neck stability and posture) and reduced cervicogenic headache frequency (a headache caused from pain in the neck). Jull et al. (2008)

How to know if you're doing it right: Ensure your chin tucks are controlled and pain-free. Make sure you feel activation in the deep neck muscles rather than the superficial ones – though you should avoid overstretching and pushing your head too far. You should also maintain a neutral spine throughout.

"This exercise specifically targets the longus colli (a deep muscle in the front of the neck) and longus capitis muscles (located at the front of the cervical spine), which are consistently inhibited in forward head posture (FHP)," says Sammy.

2. Upper trapezius (upper back muscle) stretch

Exercise: lateral neck stretch
• While sitting tall, anchor one arm under the chair
• Laterally (sideways) flex your head away from the anchored arm
• Add slight flexion component (a small degree of bending or flexing)
• Hold for 30-60 seconds, and complete three or four repetitions

What is it good for? Significant reductions in neck pain and disability scores. Ylinen et al. (2007)

How to know if you're doing it right: Ensure you feel a stretch on the opposite side of your neck – it should feel like a gentle pull, not pain.

"This stretch addresses the shortened upper trapezius and levator scapulae (which happens when the muscles on the top of your shoulders and neck are tighter than it should be), which are primary contributors to FHP," says Sammy.

3. Thoracic (upper back) extension mobilisation

Exercise: foam roller thoracic extension
• Position a foam roller at T6-T8 level
• Support your head with your hands
• Extend over the roller, controlling movement
• Complete eight to 12 repetitions

What is it good for? Significantly improved cervical (neck) range of motion, and reduced forward head posture. Quek et al. (2013)

How to know if you're doing it right: Gently roll your spine along the roller and avoid excessive arching in the lower back.

"Addressing thoracic kyphosis (excessive outward curvature of the upper spine) is essential, as it's biomechanically linked to cervical compensation (the natural ability to adjust to a functional or structural deficiency)," says Sammy.

4. Scapular (shoulder blade) stabilisation

Exercise: wall slides
• Stand with your back against wall
• With your arms in a 90-degree abduction and elbows at 90 degrees, slide your arms up the wall, maintaining contact
• Focus on scapular retraction (movement of the shoulder blade towards the spine)
• Complete two or three sets of 10-15 repetitions

What is it good for? Specific neck and shoulder exercises reduced pain intensity by 42 per cent in office workers. Andersen et al. (2011)

How to know if you're doing it right: Ensure your hands are in an L-shape, shoulder-width apart. Your back, glutes and core should be pressing against the wall. Keep your core engaged as you slide.

"This exercise targets middle and lower trapezius (upper back muscle) while stretching pectoralis minor (the thin, triangle-shaped muscle located under the larger chest muscle)," says Sammy.

5. Suboccipital (muscles at the base of the skull) release

Exercise: suboccipital self-massage
• Put tennis balls in a sock
• Lie supine with the tennis balls at the base of your skull
• Apply gentle pressure with small nodding movements for 2-3 minutes

What is it good for? Manual therapy targeting suboccipital muscles significantly reduced cervicogenic headache (headache caused from pain in the neck) intensity and frequency. Fernández-de-las-Peñas et al. (2006)

How to know if you're doing it right: Apply gentle, targeted pressure. It should feel like a comfortable, deep stretch. This will avoid causing a headache or dizziness.

Clinical recommendations

How often shall I do these stretches? Sammy recommends performing these exercises two to three times daily initially, then maintaining with a once-daily routine.

Progression: "Start with pain-free ranges, then gradually increase the holds and repetitions," Sammy says.

Monitoring: Sammy suggests tracking your pain levels (using a 0-10 scale) to notice any functional improvements.

Ergonomic integration: Sammy also advises combining these exercises with workstation modifications, such as screen at eye level, feet flat on floor and frequent position changes.

Lastly, Sammy explains that the key to success is addressing the entire kinetic chain, rather than focusing solely on the neck: "The evidence strongly supports multimodal approaches combining strengthening, stretching and postural education for optimal outcomes in tech neck management."

Tech neck is increasingly common in today’s screen-based world, and our dependence on tech devices isn't going anywhere. This means that along with targeted stretches to relieve tension and support better alignment, prevention is just as important as treatment.

To help avoid tech neck in the first place, make posture checks a regular habit. Make a conscious effort to sit upright at an arm's length from the computer with your shoulders relaxed and your feet flat on the floor. The Health and Safety Executive recommends adjusting your chair height so you can relax your shoulders with your keyboard just below elbow height. Ensure your screen is at eye level and the font is large enough that you aren't straining to read.

Your elbows should be at the side of your body, with your arms bent in an L-shape at the joint, and the keyboard should be positioned at the front of the desk, leaving a small gap of about 10-15cm to rest your wrists between typing sessions. If you work at a laptop, consider using a separate keyboard and mouse and raise your laptop on a stand or stack of books so you’re not looking down for extended periods.

Make sure to take frequent breaks to stand up, stretch and move around, even if it’s just for 1-2 minutes each hour. You could also swap handheld devices for a headset when making calls, which can also help reduce strain.

By incorporating these small changes into your daily routine, you can protect yourself from the discomfort and potentially long-term effects of tech neck.