What Is Text Neck, The Pain That's Caused By Smartphones?
As smartphones become an inseparable part of our daily lives, people, especially teenagers and young working professionals, are damaging their spines through bad posture.
Published : April 30, 2025 at 10:43 AM IST
A few minutes of scrolling through your social media, just a simple glance at a text message, or playing a game in between your travels, these are innocently simple tasks. But over time, these harmless habits are leading to a modern epidemic that's medically called "text neck". It is a condition that experts warn could have serious lifelong consequences if left untreated in time.
As smartphones and tablets become an inseparable part of our daily lives, people, especially teenagers and young working professionals, are damaging their spines through bad posture. A study published in the journal Spine in 2022, notes that the text neck symptoms among people have increased by 34 per cent over the past five years. The data was produced in correlation with screen time.
"People don't realise when they tilt their head forward when looking at their phone or working on computers. Even if it is 15 degrees, it adds pressure on your cervical spine," says Dr Nikhil Dhampal, Vascular Surgeon in Bengaluru. Usually people look at the phone at 60 degrees angle so the head exerts about 60 pounds of force on the neck. That's about the weight of an eight-year-old child hanging from your neck for several hours a day.
What is Text Neck?
First, it is not an official medical diagnosis, but rather a bigger term for several symptoms caused by repetitive strain and stress on the neck and shoulders. In Simple term, text neck pain is the discomfort or soreness in the neck and upper back caused by looking down at smartphones, tablets or other devices for long periods. According to Dr. Anup Khatri, senior Consultant - Orthopedics, Gleneagles Hospital, in Parel, Mumbai confirms that there is a surge in cases of neck pain due to mobile usage in youngsters as well as adults.
"When you tilt your head forward to look down at your phone, the angle increases the strain on your neck muscles, ligaments, and spine, causing pain. This posture, especially when held for long periods, can cause stiffness, soreness, and chronic pain," says Dr Khatri. He further says that repeated strain compresses the discs in the cervical spine and puts stress on nerves, which causes headaches and shoulder pain.
Relation Between Text Neck and Smartphone
Neck pain isn't a new issue. It has been affecting individuals of all ages, but particularly young adults due to long-term computer/phone use, desk work, poor posture habits, stress, and decreased physical activity. Neck pain can limit daily activities, reduce work productivity, and negatively impact overall quality of life.
"Chronic neck pain can lead to psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder. With the ever – increasing use of smartphones a modern health known as text neck is affecting people of all ages . This conditioned is caused by prolong bending of the neck while looking down at screens , leading to strain and discomfort," says Dr Dhampal.
Dr Khatri also recommends proper posture and mindful usage are essential to prevent discomfort. "Neck pain is often ignored by everyone, but it is not advisable to do so. Timely intervention is key to managing pain and improving the quality of life," suggests Dr Khatri. He further points out two major reasons of 'text neck'.
Posture: When you tilt your head forward to look at your device, the weight on your neck support increases dramatically. Normally the head weighs about 10-12pounds when upright. But when you bend it forward even 15 degree the effective weight on your neck increases 12 kg.
Repetition and duration: Constantly holding your head in this position for hours every day strains the muscles ligament and disk in your neck.
According to scientists scrolling on your phone while sitting on the toilet may give you 'text neck'. Doctors have warned scrolling on the loo increases the risk of 'text neck' – chronic pain and inflammation caused by the head leaning forward at an unnatural angle for too long.
Symptoms of Text Neck
One way to identify text neck is to take notice of any stiffness or pain you are experiencing in your neck area. But these symptoms can also be accompanied by other issues, especially if you’re feeling more strain over time.
Text neck can lead to symptoms like:
- Stiffness and tightness in your neck and shoulders.
- Sharp and nagging pain in your neck.
- Constant headaches.
- Muscle soreness and pain.
- Fatigue and nausea.
- Eye pain.
Besides these symptoms text neck can also be accompanied with finger and elbow pain "It can also lead to issues like arthritis of the neck and can even do long-term damage to your cervical spine. Sitting in a slumped position restricts your lungs’ ability to expand, impairing your lung capacity. Plus, inhaling less oxygen means your heart needs to pump harder to distribute more oxygen-carrying blood through your body," explains Dr Khatri.
Dr Khatri suggests some easy-to-follow tips to avoid Text Neck
While exercises and stretches can help improve posture and this should be mandatory in schools, there are some measures that anyone can follow to avoid text neck or neck pain.
- To avoid neck pain from mobile phone usage, start by improving your posture. Always hold your phone at eye level to reduce the need to bend your neck. Keeping your spine aligned and your shoulders relaxed will reduce pressure on your neck muscles. Poor posture can induce neck pain, so be careful.
- Likewise, take frequent breaks, stand up, stretch, and roll your shoulders every 20 minutes. Use voice-to-text features or hands-free devices to minimize the time spent looking down. Don’t spend long hours on mobile phones.
- Strengthening your neck and upper back through simple exercises like chin tucks, shoulder rolls, and neck stretches can build muscle support and flexibility. However, don’t do any exercises on your own and take the help of a fitness trainer.
- Applying heat or cold packs can also relieve tension if discomfort occurs.
- Use ergonomic accessories such as phone holders or stands to maintain a neutral head position.
- Lastly, be mindful of your screen time and try to limit prolonged phone use when not necessary. It is the need of the hour to adhere to these vital tips to prevent neck pain due to mobile phones. Try to limit mobile phone usage, and you will surely notice the difference.
When to See a Doctor for Neck Pain
While these tips are helpful, they may not be a complete cure. Dr Khatri suggests that if your neck pain keeps returning or is accompanied by a severe headache, fever, nausea, unintended weight loss, dizziness pain or tingling that radiates down into the arm or hand, or other troubling symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention. "Any of these symptoms with neck pain could indicate a serious underlying medical condition that needs to be accurately diagnosed by a doctor in order to get the correct treatment," suggests the Orthopedic.
Read More:
