ItHurts Ouch Files: Neck Pain Edition Your Head Is a 12-Pound Bowling Ball: Stop Treating It Like a Doorstop Congratulations. By reading this, you’ve officially acknowledged that your neck feels like it was used as a chew toy by a disgruntled grizzly bear. You’re rocking that “Frankenstein’s Monster” vibe where turning your head requires a full 90-degree body pivot. You weren’t born with a neck like a rusted hinge. You earned this. Eight hours folded over a laptop. Four more doom-scrolling until your chin nearly touches your sternum. Your head weighs about 12 pounds. For every inch you tilt it forward, you double the load on your cervical spine. That’s not drama. That’s physics with an attitude. 3 Tips to Stop the Throb The “Double Chin” Flex (Chin Tucks) Sit up straight. Pull your head straight back like someone just offered you warm mayonnaise. Hold 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times. It resets alignment and reduces forward-head strain. The “Thoracic Opener” Lie on a foam roller across your mid-back. Support your head. Gently extend over it. Opening the chest reduces the constant pull on neck muscles. The 20-20-20 Rule Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Imagine a string lifting your skull upward. Postural creep happens when you freeze in one position too long. Movement resets tension. If it Hurts we can help. Join the ItHurts Community Disclaimer: Enjoy the “Ouch” Files for the laughs and the lessons, but treat us like a witty friend rather than a diagnostic tool. We aren’t doctors, and our stories are no substitute for a professional in a white coat. If you’re actually broken, put down the phone and go see a real medic.
Written by mariadean