Let’s be honest: if your neck feels tight, achy, or like it’s permanently glued in a forward slump, it’s probably not “random stiffness.”
It’s the hours you and I are spending staring at screens.

Phones, laptops, tablets, endless scrolling — it all adds up. And your neck pays for it.

If you’re in your 40s or 50s, juggling work, family, and whatever energy is left by 9 p.m., you do not need another complicated health plan. You need simple, realistic habits that fit into your day.

So today I’m giving you three no-nonsense, osteopath-approved tips to reduce “tech neck” and stop your head feeling like a bowling ball perched on spaghetti.

These tips don’t require equipment, apps, or fancy routines — just a bit of awareness and a willingness to break some habits.

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Tip 1: Get Out of the Phone-Head Position (Awareness First, Fix Second)

Every time your head drops forward to look at your phone, the load on your neck skyrockets.
At around 45 degrees, your neck isn’t holding a 5kg head anymore — it’s handling 20–25kg of force.

Imagine carrying a toddler on the back of your neck all day. No wonder you’re tight.

The fix isn’t “perfect posture” — that doesn’t exist.
It’s less time in the extreme positions that strain your neck.

Try this today

• Hold your phone at chest height, not waist height. Yes, it feels weird at first.
• If you’re working on a laptop, raise the screen a couple of inches (books work just as well as a stand).
• Every 20–30 minutes, look up and gently lengthen the back of your neck — like someone’s lifting you up from the crown of your head.

Don’t overthink it.
Just break the “collapsed forward” shape your body keeps slipping into.

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Tip 2: Do the Anti-Screen Stretch (It Takes 20 Seconds, No Excuses)

Most people stretch forward when their neck hurts.
That’s the direction you’re already stuck in.

You need the reverse — the antidote to slumped posture.

The Stretch

1. Sit or stand tall.
2. Gently tuck your chin back (double-chin moment — embrace it).
3. Lift your chest slightly.
4. Hold for 10–20 seconds.
5. Breathe slowly.

You’re not forcing anything. You’re simply undoing the shape screens put you in all day.

If it feels tight at the front of your neck, that’s normal.
Your body’s been shortened in that position for years. Consider this your wake-up call.

When to do it

• At every red light
• While the kettle boils
• Between emails
• Before you scroll Instagram
• After you scroll Instagram

You’ll be surprised how quickly it eases that dull, persistent ache at the base of your skull.

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Tip 3: Build the Strength to Hold Yourself Better (Yes, You Need It)

Posture isn’t just about awareness.
It’s about strength — especially the deep neck flexors and upper back muscles that get lazy when your head drifts forward.

You don’t need a gym, a resistance band, or 30 minutes.
Just two small strength habits that stack over time:

A) Chin Tucks Against Gravity

1. Lie on your back with a small cushion under your head.
2. Gently tuck your chin as if making a double chin.
3. Hold 5 seconds.
4. Repeat 10 times.

This wakes up the deep neck flexors — the muscles that stop your head lurching forward.

B) Row Your Shoulder Blades

This isn’t a gym row.
It’s a small, precise movement to re-train your upper back.

1. Sit or stand tall.
2. Pull your shoulder blades gently back and down.
3. Hold 5 seconds.
4. Repeat 10–15 times.

Think “take the tension out of my chest” rather than “pinch everything backwards.”

Do these daily for a couple of weeks and your neck will stop screaming at you every time you pick up your phone.

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Final Thought

Screen time isn’t going anywhere.
Your phone isn’t the villain — your habits are.

Change the shape your body spends most of the day in.
Undo it with micro-stretches.
Rebuild the strength to support your head properly.

Simple. Effective. Realistic.

If your neck is already flaring up, or you’re fed up of managing the same pain every few months, book in and let’s get it sorted properly.

There’s a lot I can do hands-on to help — and even more I can help you change long-term.