Australia Is Quietly Becoming a Nation of Stiff Necks. Here's What's Actually Working.
A new Monash University study projects $638 billion in lost productivity from back and neck pain over the next decade. One Australian-designed device is offering a surprisingly simple counter.
Across the country, the same complaint is showing up in physio clinics: persistent, screen-induced tension at the base of the skull.
The numbers are difficult to ignore. Across two separate studies released in 2025, researchers have begun to quantify what most Australians can already feel at the end of every workday: our cervical spines are in trouble.
The dominant cause now has a name: tech neck.
Why it keeps getting worse
The human cervical spine evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to hold a 5kg head in a balanced, upright position with a natural backward curve.
It did not evolve to spend eight hours a day pitched forward at a 45-degree angle staring at a glowing rectangle.
The forward head posture that comes from desk work and phone use places up to 27kg of strain on the muscles at the base of the skull — and flattens the natural C-curve your cervical spine is meant to hold.
That strain accumulates. Then it sets. Then it becomes the new normal.
A different approach
For decades, the standard response to tension at the base of the skull has involved one of three things:
- A chiropractor or physio appointment ($120+ each)
- A massage gun aimed at the wrong muscles
- A foam roller that flattens the cervical curve instead of restoring it
Stillpoint, a small Australian wellness company, took a different route. They designed The Crest — a cervical traction cradle engineered around the exact 120° curve your spine is supposed to hold.
The Crest
How it works
Three things happen the moment you lie on it. None of them require effort from you.
How people use it
The protocol is almost embarrassingly simple.
- Lie on your back on the floor or a firm bed
- Position The Crest under the back of your neck so the cradle supports the curve
- Close your eyes and breathe slowly for ten minutes
That's it. The design does the work while you do nothing.
The cost comparison
What users are reporting
Try The Crest for 60 days
Use it every day for two months. If it doesn't change the way your body feels, send it back. Full refund.
Get The Crest — $89Frequently asked
Is this just another posture gadget?
No. The Crest is engineered around three specific therapeutic principles — cervical traction, C-curve restoration, and suboccipital release — that work together in a single 10-minute protocol. It's not a posture brace, foam roller, or massage gun.
What does the Monash study actually say?
Published in JAMA Network Open in August 2025, the Monash study projects that chronic back and neck pain will cost Australia $638 billion in productivity over the next decade, with 3.2 million working-age Australians affected by 2033.
Will it replace seeing a chiropractor or physio?
The Crest is a daily home tool, not a replacement for clinical care. If you have a structural injury, disc condition, or chronic pain that hasn't responded to home care, see a professional.
How long until I feel a difference?
Most users feel a release in the first session. The cumulative effects — better sleep, reduced morning stiffness, fewer tension headaches — usually show up within one to two weeks of daily use.
What's the return policy?
60-day full money-back guarantee. Use it daily for two months. If it doesn't help, return it for a full refund.