Spending hours looking down at a phone or sitting at a computer may do more than affect posture, according to Dr. Christina Garcia-Ramirez, a physical therapist with Elevated PT in the Houston area. She said everyday habits could be behind persistent neck, jaw and head pain. She said spinal alignment affects how muscles lengthen and shorten, and that staying in one position for hours can add strain and potentially lead to long-term damage.
Garcia-Ramirez said a common problem is looking down at a phone with the head pushed forward. She said people do not necessarily need to hold their phone at eye level all day. Instead, she recommended paying attention to head and neck position and practicing a chin tuck to help keep the head aligned with the spine. For computer use, she recommended placing the top of the screen at eye level. She also said the eyes naturally read a screen at about a 30-degree angle rather than straight ahead.
Garcia-Ramirez said posture changes are only part of treatment. She said physical therapy should also help patients identify daily habits that contribute to pain, along with stretches. "It comes down to those habit changes," she said.