Every day someone tells me their neck is stiff and sore. They blame it on their pillows or the way they sleep. Some blame it on whatever exercise program they are doing. But could the culprit be the result of our smart tech gadgets?

The offender could be our smart phones. Most of us seem to bring our head forward and look down while texting or using our devices. This believe it or not adds a whopping 30 pounds of pressure to our already overtaxed muscles in our neck and cervical spine. To add to all of this, our spine can be pulled out of alignment. Ouch! For us in the middle age of life, we are more likely to strain our necks by constantly looking down. However, younger people might not notice any difference for a while, but the constant looking down can create a posture such as forward head syndrome. Forward head syndrome is known to cause neck pain and create alignment issues with the cervical vertebra. So, a decade of looking down can actually change your alignment and cause intense pain.

When researching for this column, I found out that there is a diagnosis called text neck. Millions of people every day are looking down texting, and surfing. Quite a few are going to their doctors with neck pain. Little do they know that little device they hold in their hands could be what is causing all their discomfort. The intent of this column is not to get you to quit technology, but rather hold it differently.

Hold the phone up and keep your spine in alignment when texting. Use Siri to text. Take breaks away from your phone or tablet and stretch. Take time to add an exercise that strengthens the neck. Establish good posture by strengthening your back extensors, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi muscles. This will in turn support your neck. Stretching the upper trapezius and strengthening the mid and lower traps will further add to a program to alleviate neck discomfort from using smart devices. Finally, give yourself a break from the phones and meet your friend for a cup of coffee. Your neck will thank you. Obviously, all neck pain is not caused by smart devices. Always have your physician give you a proper diagnosis when experiencing any pain at all. If your devices are causing your pain, try to use them differently, so your neck is not compromised. Changing the way devices are used can lead to a welcome relief of discomfort.

For more information about health and fitness, please contact Kay Colgan, at Middleburg pilates and personal training, 14 S. Madison Street, Middleburg, Virginia or call 540-687-6995.