Is my phone giving me a headache?

When constant use becomes a problem

Like anything else in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. The same goes for your smartphone. In June 2020, Yamato near Tokyo became Japan’s first city to ban use of phones while walking. Too many people were walking around staring into their phones and not paying attention to traffic, resulting in an alarming increase in accidents.

You might say this was an extreme example that would not happen everywhere. Nevertheless, frequent smartphone use has other health impacts that we need to take seriously in this country. The main issue is that bending over a phone can harm your neck and upper back. The German Society of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) draws attention to the problem, which even has its own name: "text neck". The unnatural position of the head while looking down at your phone leads to stiffening of the muscles and pain in the shoulder and neck area. The pain spreads upward and you end up with a typical headache sensation.

Similarities to headache

Neck pain is not always due to excessive smartphone use. It also plays a key role in the headache process. For many headache sufferers, neck pain signals that an attack is around the corner. The relationship between neck pain, headaches, and migraines has been studied extensively. This research indicates that neck pain is the first sign of migraine and tension-type headache in many patients. This is especially true in chronic migraine. According to recent research, a sore neck is not a trigger but a key part of headache symptomatology. However, an awkward posture contributes to tension and muscle stiffness in your upper back and often makes the symptoms worse.

What can you do?

Untrained muscles make the problem much worse. Weak muscles are not strong enough to support your upper spine.

Prevention is simple, free and available any time, anywhere. The best remedy is to reduce the time you spend in unhealthy postures. This means less time looking down into your phone. It also means reducing the periods you spend sitting in the same position in front of a screen. You may not even notice that you are straining your neck all day.

To combat the bad effects of an unhealthy posture, take short (and longer) breaks at regular intervals, stand up briefly, move your head and shoulders gently back and forth and from side to side, walk a few steps around the room. As a basic principle, build movement and light exercise into your day, both at work and at play. Tension will not get a chance to build up and you will be doing all you can to prevent text neck and headaches.