Chiropractor says bad posture can cause more problems than just neck pain

Ashley Crouch runs her own PR company from her home office and started noticing chronic neck pain.

"I'm sitting at a table or on the couch and what happens is that I'll take calls in a very slumped over position. I start to feel pain. I know that's not healthy over time," said Crouch.

It's something that chiropractor Jason Kaufman of Scottsdale Neurology sees all too frequently.

"Technology is just bringing us more forward. Driving, cooking and cleaning has always been there, but the technology is the biggest white whale. It's more than just aches and pains: blood flow, breathing, anxiety, depression: These are diagnoses that people have issues with when posture gets overlooked," said Kaufman.

Kaufman says this situation is preventable and treatable. Whether you're in your car, using your laptop or your phone, Kaufman suggests keeping your head up.

"You can focus on bringing the shoulders back taking a break, deep breathing is going to help," said Kaufman.

He reminds us this is an overuse syndrome and warns parents to pay special attention to children. "These kids are growing into terrible posture and we don't even know what their future holds," said Kaufman.

And it's not only using a device. Malibu Fitness owner Lonnie Galate often sees that same forward posture while people are exercising. She knows this will lead to pain over time.

"Technique and doing things properly with the proper posture always is the most important thing," said Kaufman.

Kaufman recommends an exercise called "wall angels." He suggests taking time to do them as frequently as once an hour.

"Just bring the elbows up and down about four inches no higher than that. Be careful. Just do this until you feel a little fatigue back in there," said Kaufman.

That will strengthen tight upper back muscles while stretching the pectorals and giving the neck a much-needed break.