Do You Suffer From Text Neck?

You Need to Take Care of Your Neck

The world of technology is expanding day by day, making this planet earth a global village. Everyone has access to modern devices, especially cell phones. These handheld devices come with some impressive features. Reading, communicating, or playing games on a handheld device causes people to tilt their heads down. Keeping the head in this position, all day every day can negatively impact the pressure placed on the spine. The bent neck puts a strain on the lower cervical spine muscles causing repeated stress injury, generally known as Turtle Neck, anterior head syndrome, or Text Neck.

With the constant and rapid growth in the cell phone user population worldwide, this issue is increasingly becoming a health concern and a problematic lifestyle leading to aggravated musculoskeletal disorders, especially for the younger generation.

When a person tilts their head forward to 15-60 degrees in order to use their cell phone, it affects the spine by putting 27-60 pounds of additional force on the neck.

Don’t Ignore Neck Pain

The early symptoms of Text Neck include stiffness in the neck, pain in the lower part of the neck, muscular weakness, and headaches. Ignoring the early symptoms can lead to more severe conditions, including early-onset arthritis, disc compression, loss of lung capacity, and spinal degeneration.

Avoiding extensive use of handheld devices and with the neck in this static posture can help prevent Text Neck. Other preventive measures include leveling the device at eye level. This position doesn’t put a strain on the neck or head. If a person is facing an acute problem, continuous neck rotation and side bending, chin tuck exercises, heat or ice packs, and massage can help mitigate the pain. In the case of chronic Text Neck issue, pain medications are required. Acupuncture can also help in relieving the Text Neck pain.

Don’t Live on Your Phone!

Over-usage of cell phones and other handheld devices are the primary cause of the Text Neck problem and can lead to long-term health issues affecting the productivity of a person to great lengths. If a person is suffering from this health problem, they should consult their chiropractor immediately in order to stop the problem from aggravating.  Preston Family Chiropractic provides a person with an excellent treatment of mechanical disorders such as Text Neck by helping you restore the standard cervical curve, aiding to a correct posture.

For more information on Text Neck or to schedule a consultation, contact Preston Family Chiropractic at 919-238-5040.