Drag the slider to tip the head forward. The number is the load on the neck estimated by a published spine model, from about 10–12 pounds upright to about 60 pounds at 60°. It's a picture of the mechanics, and below it we explain what it does and doesn't mean.
Head tilt: 0° (ears over shoulders)
10–12 lb
About the weight of the head itself.
The five labeled angles are the model's published values. Numbers between them are drawn as a straight line from one published point to the next, so treat them as rough.
| Head tilt | 0° | 15° | 30° | 45° | 60° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pounds | 10–12 | 27 | 40 | 49 | 60 |
| Kilograms | 4.5–5.4 | 12.3 | 18.1 | 22.2 | 27.2 |
A dramatic number is easy to misread. Here's how to read this one.
Your head doesn't get heavier. As it tips forward, its weight sits further in front of the neck, so the muscles at the back of the neck have to pull harder to hold it there. The model adds up that extra pull. That's the whole idea behind the name "tech neck".
The numbers come from a mathematical model with a 13.2-pound head, not from sensors in real necks. Real people vary in head size, neck length and how they hold themselves, so your numbers won't be these exact ones.
Looking down now and then is normal, and plenty of people read their phones without trouble. What the model shows is that time spent far forward asks more of your neck. How much time, and how often you change position, matters more than any single glance.
The easiest way to spend less time at the right-hand end of the slider is to move the screen rather than your neck:
If screen days have left your neck stiff or your shoulders up by your ears, here's how we approach tech neck in the office, or read about neck pain care.
The model assumed a 13.2-pound head and reported the load at 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees of forward tilt. This page draws only those five published values, plus straight-line estimates between them. It's education about mechanics, not medical advice, and it doesn't ask about you or store anything.
In a 2014 mathematical model of the neck by spine surgeon Kenneth Hansraj, an adult head carries about 10 to 12 pounds of load upright. The estimated load rises to about 27 pounds at 15 degrees of forward tilt, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees. These are model estimates, not measurements taken from people.
It comes from a calculation, not a measurement. The model shows why a forward head asks more of the muscles at the back of the neck: the further the head tips, the longer the lever they have to hold. It doesn't tell you that looking down causes pain or damage, and people vary. Treat it as a picture of the mechanics, not a diagnosis.
Move the screen, not your neck. Raise your monitor so the top of the screen is at or slightly below eye level, put a laptop on a stand with a separate keyboard, and lift your phone toward eye level for long reads and calls. Then change position often, because no single posture is meant to be held all day.
We look at how your neck moves and how you work, and give you a plan with the cost in writing before you agree to it. Same-day appointments are often available — a doctor is in the office six days a week. 435 8th Street #203, at 8th and Broadway.
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