If you spend your day hunched over a laptop, scrolling on your phone, or sitting through back-to-back video calls, there’s a good chance your neck pays the price for it. We see this constantly at Unwind Chiropractic — people who work from home in Lilyfield, Rozelle, and across the Inner West, or commute into the city for a desk job, coming in with the same complaint: a tight, aching neck that gets worse as the day goes on.
There’s a name for it: tech neck. And while it sounds like a minor inconvenience, left unaddressed it can turn into chronic pain, headaches, and reduced mobility.
What Is Tech Neck, Exactly?
Tech neck refers to the strain placed on your neck and upper spine from prolonged forward-head posture — the position your head and neck fall into when you’re looking down at a phone or leaning toward a screen.
Here’s the part most people don’t realise: for every inch your head moves forward from its neutral position, the effective load on your neck and upper back muscles increases significantly. Sit like that for six, eight, ten hours a day, and it adds up fast — even if you don’t feel it in the moment.
Common Signs of Tech Neck
- A dull ache or tightness across the back of the neck and shoulders
- Pain that builds through the day and peaks by mid-afternoon or evening
- Headaches that start at the base of the skull
- Reduced range of motion — trouble turning your head fully to check a blind spot while driving, for example
- Rounded shoulders or a forward-leaning posture, even when you’re not at a desk
Why It’s So Common in the Inner West
A lot of our clients split their time between a home office and a commute into the CBD — meaning long stretches at a laptop, followed by more screen time on the train or ferry. Add in a phone that’s constantly in hand, or a flexed head forward on the couch and the neck rarely gets a real break during the day.
What We Do About It
Tech neck isn’t something you fix by simply “sitting up straighter” for five minutes and then forgetting about it — the muscles and joints need to actually be treated and retrained, and the habits around your workstation usually need attention too.
Our approach combines:
- Assessment of your neck and upper back mobility — identifying exactly which joints are restricted and which muscles have tightened up in response.
- Gentle chiropractic adjustments to restore proper movement through the cervical spine.
- Practical guidance for your setup — simple, realistic changes to how you sit, where your screen sits, and how often you should be moving through the day. We’re not going to tell you to throw out your laptop; we’ll help you work with the setup you’ve actually got.
- Suggestions of stretching and easy exercises to balance muscles and teach your body to remain in a more upward posture without tension and stress.
When to Get It Checked
You don’t need to wait for a full-blown headache to see someone. It’s worth booking in if:
- Neck or shoulder tightness is a near-daily occurrence
- You’re getting regular headaches, especially by the afternoon
- You’ve noticed your posture changing, or others have commented on it
- Pain is starting to radiate into your shoulders or upper back
Give Your Neck a Break
Tech neck is easy to ignore because it builds slowly — but that’s exactly why it’s worth addressing early, before it becomes a chronic pattern. Unwind Chiropractic is located at 79A Justin Street, Lilyfield, serving clients across the Inner West including Rozelle, Balmain, and Annandale.
This article is general information and isn’t a substitute for individualised clinical advice. If you’re experiencing severe or worsening symptoms, please seek prompt medical attention.
