How reducing screen time saved my back: An orthopaedic surgeon shares a routine that protects his spine

5 min readNew DelhiJun 5, 2026 04:00 PM IST

Long hours of screen time combined with sedentary habits are causing conditions like "text neck" and wrist strain to impact patients decades ahead of schedule. (Representational Image)

Written by Dr Aashay Mody

A few months ago, a 26-year-old software engineer walked into my OPD with a persistent ache at the base of his neck and upper back. He thought it was stress. Maybe a bad mattress. But when I looked at his X-ray, I saw early signs of cervical disc degeneration — something I would usually expect in someone 20 years older.

“How many hours a day are you on a screen?” I asked. “Twelve… maybe thirteen,” he replied. I wasn’t surprised.

Over the last few years, I’ve been seeing more patients in their late twenties and thirties with problems that once belonged to a much older generation — early lower back pain, “text neck”, wrist strain, reduced hip mobility and posture-related fatigue. The common denominator is often the same: long hours of screen time combined with increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

I’m a millennial too, so I understand the lifestyle. Outside the operating theatre, I’m equally guilty of long stretches on screens, endless meetings and reaching for my phone the moment I wake up. The difference is that I operate on the consequences of ignoring musculoskeletal health every week. That changes how you look at your own body. So here’s what I personally do — not as generic “doctor advice”, but as someone in his thirties trying to protect the same body I ask my patients to care for.

The first 20 minutes of my day belong to my body, not my phone

Before checking notifications, I spend at least 15–20 minutes moving. Some mornings it’s yoga and pranayam; other days it’s simple mobility exercises for the spine, shoulders and hips. There’s science behind this. Your spinal discs rehydrate overnight during sleep. Gentle movement in the morning helps distribute that fluid, lubricate joints and activate the nervous system properly. Think of it as warming up your engine before a drive.

There is no ‘perfect posture’

One thing I constantly tell patients: the best posture is your next posture.

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Remaining locked in one position — even an ergonomically “correct” one — for hours is what really damages the body. I personally follow a modified 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, I stand up, take 20 steps and reset my neck and shoulders. It sounds small, but it matters.

When your head tilts forward while scrolling through your phone, your cervical spine bears significantly more load than it is naturally designed for. Over time, that repetitive strain contributes to stiffness, headaches, muscular imbalance and early degenerative changes. One simple fix? Raise your screen to eye level. It’s one of the easiest ways to reduce daily strain on the neck.

I play sports deliberately — not occasionally

I regularly play basketball, badminton and football, not just for fitness but because sports train the body differently.

Most gym workouts focus on repetitive linear movement. Sports challenge coordination, balance, agility and proprioception — your body’s awareness of movement and position in space. These are the things that help prevent injuries as we age. You don’t have to become an athlete. But your body does need movement variety. Walk on uneven ground. Climb stairs. Dance. Move in ways your desk job never allows you to.

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I eat for my bones, not just for weight management

Many young Indians are unknowingly deficient in calcium and Vitamin D, both of which are critical for long-term bone health. I consciously prioritise dairy or fortified alternatives, adequate protein intake and regular sunlight exposure. Sunlight remains one of the most efficient natural ways for the body to synthesise Vitamin D — which is essential for maintaining bone density.

What many people don’t realise is that peak bone density is achieved in your late twenties. The choices you make now determine the skeletal reserves your body will rely on decades later.

Nature is underrated orthopaedic therapy

One thing I consciously try to do is spend time moving outdoors — hiking, walking through forests and exploring uneven terrain. Uneven surfaces activate stabiliser muscles around the ankles, knees and hips in ways treadmills cannot replicate. More importantly, they force you away from screens for long stretches of time. Your spine quietly benefits from that break.

You don’t need to be an orthopaedic surgeon to care about musculoskeletal health. But you do need to start before pain begins — because by the time pain appears, the damage is often already underway.

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Ironically, our generation tracks sleep, optimises nutrition and invests in wellness routines, yet often ignores the body carrying all of it. Your phone will survive. Check on your spine first.

(Dr Aashay Mody is an orthopaedic surgeon at Welcare Hospital, and specialises in joint replacement and arthroplasty)