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Adult Tummy Time Can Relieve Neck Pain and Stiffness

TikTok users say lying on the floor on your belly counteracts ‘tech neck.’ Doctors and physical therapists agree.
Adult Tummy Time Can Relieve Neck Pain and Stiffness
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Pediatricians recommend supervised “tummy time” for babies to help strengthen neck, shoulder, and arm muscles.

 But a slew of adults on TikTok have also been spending time on their bellies and suggest the activity may benefit grown-ups, too.
In a viral post, TikTok user @chsnwhn claims adult tummy time “solves tech neck,” which refers to neck or shoulder pain or stiffness caused by poor posture while scrolling your phone or using your laptop.

 In another video, fitness coach @jennlashley suggests tummy time improves posture overall.

Doctors and physical therapists say these TikTok users may be on to something.

“Tummy time for adults allows people to strengthen the muscles on the posterior side or back of the body,” says Jason Snibbe, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles. “These are critical muscles for posture, spinal stability, and stabilization of the lower extremities.”

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What Is Adult Tummy Time?

Tummy time involves lying on your stomach, propped up on your elbows, while slightly arching your back. You can also raise your arms, legs, upper body, and trunk off the floor while keeping your abdomen on the ground, says Leia Rispoli, MD, a pain management specialist and physiatrist at DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, California. (Physiatrists are doctors who treat a wide range of conditions affecting your physical body, as opposed to specific internal organs like your heart or kidneys.)

This engages and strengthens the muscles in your back and the back of your neck, which may ease pain or stiffness in these areas, Dr. Rispoli says.

The position can also help improve your spine’s range of motion, says Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, a physical therapist and owner of Fusion Wellness and Femina Physical Therapy in Los Angeles.

“Tummy time works to straighten the spine and work towards extension, reversing the forward curve of being on a phone or other devices throughout the day,” she says.

Can Adult Tummy Time Really Help Tech Neck?

Some estimates suggest that the average person spends more than four hours a day on their phones — and that’s not counting additional time using a computer.

Most of this time is probably spent hunched over, with the weight of your head (which averages 10 to 12 pounds) putting pressure on your neck and upper back muscles, causing tech neck.

Your neck also tends to be flexed, and you’re not using the muscles in the back of your body, Dr. Snibbe says. “Tummy time addresses this by improving shoulder and neck posture while building strength in these critical muscles for stability.”

Lying on your stomach replicates a position physical therapists often suggest to help align the spine into a more neutral position, build strength in the back and neck, relieve pain, and improve posture overall, Rispoli says. So “it’s possible” the exercise could help tech neck, she says.

Being propped up on your elbows also improves the spine’s mobility and gently stretches the abdominal muscles and hip flexors, Dr. Jeffcoat explains, “two muscle groups that tend to get tight with prolonged sitting postures.”

How to Try Adult Tummy Time

There is an ideal adult tummy time position, and the experts we spoke to have some tips:

  • Start by lying on your stomach on a mat or the floor.
  • Prop yourself up on your forearms.
  • Lift your legs and arms up off the ground.
  • Keep your neck in line with your spine — avoid extending your neck beyond where it aligns with the natural curve of your spine.
  • Engage your abdominal muscles to protect your back.
  • Keep your eyes straight ahead.
  • Avoid arching your back too much.

Start by doing tummy time for short periods, such as holding the position for 10 to 15 seconds and then relaxing, Rispoli says. If it’s painful, stop, she emphasizes. If it feels good, you can hold the position for longer periods, Jeffcoat says.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Try Adult Tummy Time?

Tummy time can be beneficial for just about anyone, Snibbe says.

However, if you generally have back or neck pain, or the exercise causes discomfort, you should avoid it, he says, and talk to your doctor about identifying the underlying cause of this pain. It’s also not advised if you have a recent injury.

Never push through any pain, as it could make the problem worse, Jeffcoat notes.

Other Effective Strategies to Combat Tech Neck

While tummy time may help tech neck, several other exercises can offer relief, too, by improving your neck’s range of motion and strengthening your neck and back, Snibbe says.

These exercises include:

  • Rows with hand weights, a weight machine, or resistance bands
  • Pull-downs with weights or a weight machine
  • Planks
  • Lying on your back along a foam roller with your arms to your side
  • Using a foam roller on your upper back

These moves help open your chest, improve posture, and increase flexibility, Snibbe says. They also “make the muscles work against gravity,” which boosts strength, Jeffcoat adds.

The Bottom Line on Adult Tummy Time

Tummy time is one exercise that can help “offset the daily hours of poor posture that we all end up doing,” Rispoli says. But, if the problem persists, talk to your doctor or seek out a physical therapist.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Tummy Time for a Healthy Baby. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
  2. Tech Neck': Technology's Effect on Your Neck. Mayo Clinic Health System. April 10, 2024.
  3. Time Spent With Nonvoice Activities on Mobile Phones Every Day In The United States From 2019 to 2024. Statista. June 2022.

Tom Gavin

Fact-Checker

Tom Gavin joined Everyday Health as copy chief in 2022 after a lengthy stint as a freelance copy editor. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.

Prior to working for Everyday Health, he wrote, edited, copyedited, and fact-checked for books, magazines, and digital content covering a range of topics, including women's health, lifestyle, recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, and more. His clients have included Frommer's, Time-Life, and Google, among others.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he likes to spend his time making music, fixing too-old electronics, and having fun with his family and the dog who has taken up residence in their home.

Erica Sweeney

Erica Sweeney

Author

Erica Sweeney has been a journalist for more than two decades. These days, she mostly covers health and wellness as a freelance writer. Her work regularly appears in The New York Times, Men’s Health, HuffPost, Self, and many other publications. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she previously worked in local media and still lives.