What is ‘tech neck' and how can you fix it?
With nearly 86 percent of full-time American workers spending long, unhealthy hours sitting at their desks, leaning over computers, or staring down at their phones, many have found themselves suffering from 'tech neck.'
The condition, sometimes also referred to as 'text neck," is used to describe pain and discomfort in the neck that can happen when someone bends their head down.
The problem is pressure, with experts saying that holding your head at a 45-degree angle can feel like 50 pounds of weight.
"That's like having an 8-pound bowling ball as your head. Then you have 72 pounds at your elbow and 96 pounds on your shoulder," Brian Langenhorst, industrial and ergonomics specialist at Wisconsin's La Crosse Mayo Clinic Health System, said. "I probably see tech neck on a weekly basis at businesses, schools and industry."
There has been an increase in cases in recent years, but there are ways to prevent the condition. Here's how to fix it.
Stretches should be done frequently for the best benefits, according to sports medicine Dr. Jeffrey Peng.
"Five minutes is really all you need to stretch out the neck," he said. "But the key is to do these stretches frequently — ideally, three times per day. That way, you are slowly increasing mobility and range of motion of the neck muscles that often get tighter and tighter throughout the day.'
He recommends touching your ear to your shoulder to stretch the upper trapezius, a large shoulder muscle. For further pressure, put gentle pressure on your head using your hand. Hold it for 30 seconds.
You can also stretch the levator scapula: a neck muscle that runs along the upper back on neck on either side of the spine. With the head turned diagonally, pull down on it with one hand and guide the other hand to rest on the base of the neck.
To target the anterior scalene — which helps to flex the neck and elevate the first rib — pull the ear toward the shoulder, look up, and lean back.
Adjust your monitor to the right level, with eye height about a half inch to one and a half inches higher than the top characters on your screen.
Sit with your head, hips, and spine stacked, and keep your wrists straight and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees should be aligned with your hips.
When using a phone, place pillows on your lap to support your forearms and try to hold the phone or tablet in an upright and angled position.
By looking straight ahead, your muscles get a chance to relax, preventing uneven pressure.
"It's not great, but it's better than not being supported," said Langenhorst.
Take frequent screen breaks and get up and move!
That will get blood circulating and it will get your neck in a different position.
Or, even just stand.
'Humans are upright creatures, and our bodies aren't designed to look down for long periods of time, which puts extra pressure on the cervical spine,' Dr. Kavita Trivedi, an associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said.
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Boston Globe
32 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
How a purge at one obscure panel could disrupt US vaccinations
On Monday, Kennedy, long a vaccine skeptic, Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On the social platform X, he promised not to replace the panel's experts with 'ideological anti-vaxxers.' On Wednesday, Kennedy Advertisement For years, Kennedy has argued that American children receive too many shots and has falsely claimed that vaccines are not tested in placebo-controlled studies. Critics fear he is now setting the stage for a rollback of federal recommendations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 14, 2025. HAIYUN JIANG/NYT 'I'm very, very worried about young children in this country,' said Dr. Helen Chu, professor of medicine at the University of Washington and one of the committee members who was fired. If the panel's new members 'don't believe in vaccines, then I think it puts us in a very dangerous place.' Advertisement Richard Hughes IV, who teaches vaccine law at George Washington University, predicted that the new committee would move to pare back the childhood vaccination schedule 'relatively quickly.' The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment. 'All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,' Kennedy said in a message on X. 'They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations.' He also acknowledged that the panel would 'review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well.' The upheaval arrives as measles infections approach the highest level in decades; whooping cough has risen significantly, too, compared with this time last year. Steep cuts to global immunization programs also make it more likely that infectious diseases, such as polio, may reach American shores. Alarmed, members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have asked Kennedy to provide all communications and documents related to the dismissal of the committee and a 'detailed description of the rationale for removing each individual' by June 24, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. The American Medical Association called for an immediate reversal of the purge and resolved to 'identify and evaluate' alternative sources of advice on vaccines. It is unclear whether Kennedy will appoint more members -- there is no required minimum -- before the next scheduled meeting at the end of June. And no one can say whether or how the decisions of the reshaped panel may diverge from current recommendations. Advertisement But any softening of federal recommendations regarding vaccination would ripple through the nation in unpredictable ways. Access to the shots eventually may depend on where you live, which insurance policy you hold and which doctor you see, experts said. 'That obviously is going to decrease the number of people who are protected with these vaccines,' said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, the health commissioner of Columbus, Ohio. 'I am concerned about what that means about herd immunity, what that means about outbreaks and infections.' Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to cover the cost of any vaccine recommended by the ACIP. Losing that endorsement means that some insurance companies may choose not to pay for immunizations. Nor could those shots be offered for free through the Vaccines for Children program. The measles vaccine can cost up to $250 and the four-dose polio series up to $340. 'You'd essentially have a two-tier system where people who have cash at hand can purchase their own vaccines if they're not recommended, and those who don't have the money may have to go without,' said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician at Stanford University and one of the fired panelists. The panel could take a more measured approach, perhaps advising that a doctor's sign-off should be required for some immunizations. The vaccines program would still cover it, but reimbursement from private insurers would be more difficult to enforce, Hughes said. The Vaccines for Children program was created after a measles epidemic from 1989 to 1991 led to tens of thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. More than half of the infected children were unvaccinated even though many had seen a doctor, because they could not afford the shots, according to the CDC. Advertisement Cutting back on free access to immunizations 'is not a strategy to even think about -- only vaccinating potentially the half of the population that has health insurance,' Chu said. If measles continues to resurge, for example, even vaccinated people will be at risk, she said. Vaccinations are not profitable for clinics, and reduced demand could mean that fewer places bother to offer the shots. 'In places where you know there's a large anti-vax sentiment, there may not be financial incentive, or any incentive, to keep those vaccines in stock,' she said. ACIP makes recommendations for immunizations. But the authority to mandate them rests with the states. Even if the federal government walked away from some recommendations, most, if not all, states are likely to maintain the current mandates for school-age children, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, which represents state and local officials. 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Advertisement Mina Zadeh, a CDC scientist, has been named to oversee the committee, but the rest of her team has not been set up. Staff members who lead the committee's work groups may meet with her 'starting early next week,' according to a recording of an internal meeting obtained by the Times. But the panel's next meeting is scheduled to begin June 25. Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious diseases physician and expert on vaccine policy, said he worried the new members could not be prepared on such short notice and without the help of previous members or CDC personnel. 'This raises the question of whether the goal here is for ACIP to be able to do its job,' he added. 'Kennedy has accused the prior committee members of conflicts of interest and for rubber-stamping things, but I think that's exactly what we're looking at with this group.' This article originally appeared in .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
PolTREG Establishes U.S. Subsidiary Immuthera to Advance International Development Strategy
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'Over recent years, PolTREG has created a platform for the development of multiple cellular therapies: polyclonal Tregs, CAR-TREGs, mulit-eidited/allogeneic CAR-Tregs, antigen-specific Tregs, and mRNA immunotherapies, all informed by our clinical experience. To fully leverage our potential, we are focusing on the execution our growth strategy in the American market by systematically bringing existing therapies, and exploring new assets into the US. We have established partnerships with several renowned entities such as Noble Capital Markets, Inc., for strategic and financial advisory services. We have also formed a strategic cooperation with the Swiss company Antion Biosciences to develop the next generation of allogeneic TREG therapies' said Prof. Piotr Trzonkowski, CEO of PolTREG. 'This expands PolTREG's project pipeline and enhances the company's attractiveness to potential strategic partners. 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To read more about the clinical trials PolTREG has completed, please click on: PolTREG manufactures its Treg therapeutics at its own GMP-certified manufacturing facility. It is the first company in the world to have administered Treg therapies to patients, and, under a hospital exemption valid in Poland, the first company to start receiving revenues from a Treg therapeutic for autoimmune disease. Its GMP manufacturing facility is one of Europe's largest and most advanced, boasting over 2,100 sqm of laboratory space, including 15 production lines. PolTREG has the option to substantially expand the facility to accommodate manufacturing of next-generation engineered therapies and cell therapies. It can ship its wide range of cellular therapy products across Europe within 24 hours. About PolTREG PolTREG is a global leader in developing autoimmune therapies based on T-regulatory cells (Tregs). Its lead product, PTG-007, autologous Treg treatment for early-onset Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) is ready for Phase 2/3 clinical testing, for which the company is seeking a partnership. PolTREG has established a robust platform encompassing a wide range of cell therapy approaches, including polyclonal TREG, CAR-TREG, allogeneic TREG, antigen-specific TREG, and TCR-TREG therapies. About Immuthera Immuthera is pioneering novel cell-based therapies for clinical development in the United States and Canada. Immuthera will be clinically developing assets initially developed by PolTREG under the US FDA regulatory framework. Immuthera will have full access to PolTREG's Research and Development capabilities along with the ability to explore novel modalities developed by US Institutions. Immuthera is currently seeking investment to pursue the manufacture and clinical development of these assets in the United States. For more information please visit For further information please contact:PolTREG Piotr TrzonkowskiChief Executive Officerir@ 512 532 401 Important information The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes", "estimates," "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "plans", "continue", "ongoing", "potential", "predict", "project", "target", "seek" or "should", and include statements the Company makes concerning the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The company's actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. 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The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Kennedy is on an anti-vaxx mission to reshape federal guidelines
On Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote in the Wall Street Journal that 'Vaccines have become a divisive issue in American politics,' and 'The U.S. faces a crisis of public trust.' 'Whether toward health agencies, pharmaceutical companies or vaccines themselves, public confidence is waning,' Kennedy warned. What was his solution? He abruptly fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the committee that has assured vaccine safety in the U.S. without political interference since 1964. Predictably, he is now repopulating the panel with like-minded individuals who will probably make recommendations that diverge from the mainstream medical and public health community and align with his longstanding anti-vaccine vision. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices typically includes infectious disease, immunology, medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in children and adults. These members adhere to strict conflict of interest guidelines, and the meetings are open to the public. The panel reviews data related to both new and established vaccines using a detailed, evidence-based methodology in making recommendations. This process ensures that decisions are based on data and facts and are free of political or financial interests. Kennedy's move marks a landmark victory for the modern and evolving anti-vaccine movement, which now has a front seat in the Trump administration. Today's anti-vaccine movement began percolating in 1998 with a faulty scientific report linking the measles vaccine to autism. Despite the retraction of the report and numerous scientific studies showing no support for the vaccine-autism link, this notion has gained traction and now permeates American politics, undermining basic pediatric healthcare. Over the past five years, largely due to the politics surrounding COVID-19, anti-vaccine sentiment has combusted. It is staggering to reflect on its recently growing scope. With thousands of weekly deaths and mass societal disruption from COVID-19, our nation clamored for a vaccine as a pathway to normalization. The Trump administration launched Operation Warp Speed in May 2020, with an initial investment of $18 billion to develop solutions. The nation breathed a sigh of relief when COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, as our pathway out of the pandemic was before us. These feelings were reminiscent of the jubilation following Jonas Salk's development of the polio vaccine 70 years ago, which put an end to a paralytic illness that affected about 16,000 children each year in the U.S. Although some politicians may overlook this fact, both Republican and Democratic leaders lined up to promote and extol the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination when it became available. Our nation was politically unified over the first half of the year after the vaccines became available, and we watched death rates fall. However, in April 2021, shortly after the Biden administration actively promoted COVID-19 vaccines, many Republican governors backed off from their promotion. Instead, several supported the notion that it was better to get immunity by infection rather than vaccination. Some also endorsed the practice of contracting COVID-19, followed by the use of monoclonal antibodies, rather than getting vaccinated, a strategy that was significantly more expensive and riskier. With fewer Republicans taking the vaccine, by the summer of 2021, the most significant risk factor for death from COVID-19 was not necessarily age or underlying medical condition, but whether you were a Republican or Democrat, leading to the notion of 'Red COVID.' This was 'the moment the anti-vaccine movement had been waiting for,' as it hitched itself to Republican politicians, leading to a significant spillover effect onto other vaccines. Anti-vaccine politicians, including Kennedy, received millions of dollars in campaign contributions, making routine childhood vaccinations a political issue rather than a health issue. We are now in a situation where the politicization of COVID-19 vaccines and the false attack on other vaccines now dominate news, leaving the public confused and healthcare providers frustrated. Mixed messaging from the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the tepid federal response to the measles outbreak currently affecting several states, reveals an inconsistent approach that does little to reassure citizens. Sadly, this messaging occurs when parents are questioning vaccinating their children more than ever before, and vaccination rates are declining. Now he says the justification for firing the vaccine panel's members is a lack of public confidence in federal vaccine guidance. Thus, we are in a situation where the fabricated narrative of anti-vaccine proponents with loud political bullhorns is being used to destroy a foundational scientific group that has kept us safe from vaccine-preventable diseases for decades. If new federal recommendations are implemented, it will prompt the medical and public health communities to issue their own guidelines, which may not be the same. Two weeks ago, following Kennedy's recommendation that healthy children and pregnant women should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, this scenario played out as the CDC and prominent medical organizations issued differing guidance. This contributes to public uncertainty and will hurt children and their families, as growing numbers of unvaccinated children will needlessly be harmed, hospitalized or die from vaccine-preventable illnesses. However, that is not all that the medical and public health communities need to fear. We now regularly see the Trump administration retaliate against those who do not align with the administration's policies in law firms, universities or state governments. We can also anticipate that funding will fall for longstanding federal vaccination programs, and the Department of Health and Human Services will remove certain vaccines from mandatory insurance payment, limiting their uptake. Thus, a growing number of children will be harmed, hospitalized, and die from vaccine-preventable illnesses. As the medical community lines up to condemn the recent firings and begins to release vaccine recommendations in opposition to Health and Human Services, it needs to prepare itself to answer the question: What happens when we, and the way we practice medicine, become the next target of the Trump administration? Scott Rivkees, MD, is a pediatrician and professor of practice at Brown University. He is the former state surgeon general and secretary of Health of Florida.
