This viral pillow is said to be the cure for tech neck

Bad posture be gone

We know looking down at our computers and phones all day is bad for our necks, but treating tech neck can feel like an impossible task. Now a cheap foam pillow is going viral on TikTok for helping people trying to undo the damage of hunching over a screen.

If you’ve found yourself rubbing the back of your neck in pain, been shocked after seeing a picture of yourself from the side, or regularly ask for painkillers because your muscles are constantly screaming after long work days, TikTok may have found a pillow to fix your problems.

Hunching over your desk with a posture resembling that of a prawn can strain your neck, shoulder and back muscles, and eventually lead to poor posture, pain and headaches.

According to physical therapist and exercise physiologist Dr Milica McDowell, ‘tech neck is “a constellation of symptoms” including ‘stiffness, pain, a hump or slouch at the bottom of your neck, and in some cases it can even lead to arm pain, upper- and mid-back pain, and headaches’, as per Bustle.

Hours of looking down at screens can bring on or intensify symptoms, as your head is usually hunched further forward than it naturally should.

A curved foam pillow is going viral on TikTok as a treatment for tech neck and the damage our desk jobs do to our neck and shoulders.

Hours of looking down at screens can bring on or intensify symptoms, as your head is usually hunched further forward than it naturally should. Image: iStock

The Restcloud Pillow

The ‘Restcloud pillow’ has over 1.4 million tags on the app, many including chiropractors preaching about its benefits in realigning the spine.

The ergonomic pillow is $15.99 on Amazon, where it has a 4.1 star rating from over 70,000 reviewers.

It comes in three different colours, is lightweight and sturdy enough to support your head as it stretches your neck backwards.

The neck and shoulder stretcher has massage nodes to help muscles to further relax and promises to retrain the curve in your neck to avoid your head jutting forward.

Restcloud Neck and Shoulder Relaxer Chiropractic Pillow, $15.99 from amazon.com.au

The ergonomic pillow is $15.99 on Amazon, where it has a 4.1 star rating from over 70,000 reviewers. Image: Amazon

Shop here

How big of a problem is bad posture?

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘Around 4 million Australians were estimated to be living with back problems in 2022.’

Back problems were also the third leading cause of disease burden overall last year.

Mayo Clinic Health System’s industrial and ergonomics specialist Brian Langenhorst said the hours we spend each day on our computer or phone can result in our bodies prioritising seeing better over staying in a comfortable position.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘around 4 million Australians were estimated to be living with back problems in 2022.’ Image: Pexels

"Your body is going to ask you do you want to have visual comfort or postural comfort. The key here is that vision always wins because we change our posture to accommodate vision."

He insisted this can lead to some musculoskeletal fatigue, saying people “may notice pressure on nerve supply, which then can have some referred pain, and pressure on nerve supply within the neck that can have referred pain within the arms and hands." Plenty of people seem to be familiar with tech neck, with it being mentioned in over 105 million TikToks.

How to use the Restcloud pillow

So if you’re over trying to use a tennis ball or roller to help your muscles relax after work and getting no relief from stretching, maybe the Restcloud pillow is for you.

So if you’re over trying to use a tennis ball or roller to help your muscles relax after work and getting no relief from stretching, maybe the Restcloud pillow is for you. Image: Pexels

To use it:

• Lay on the floor and place the pillow under the base of your neck so your head rolls off the top
• Try both sides to determine what level of stretch you’re after
• Relax for 10 to 20 minutes each day

You can shop the Restcloud pillow here.

Originally published as This viral pillow is said to be the cure for tech neck