Next time you’re in a public place, take a look at how many people are sat or stood hunched over their electronic devices. It’s become a modern day epidemic! We’re all guilty of getting so lost in the world of tech, that we pay no attention to the strain we’re putting on our neck. This repetitive downward straining of the neck for extended periods of time is called ‘text neck,’ and over time may cause serious damage to the cervical spine and strain the muscles on the back of your neck.
Did you know that every time you hunch over to text, it’s equivalent to carrying a small child on the back of your neck? Yikes!
Your head weighs approximately 10-12 pounds, and with every inch you tilt forward, the weight of your head dramatically increases reaching up to 6 times its weight. That’s more than 60 pounds of weight that’s straining your neck structure; way more than it is designed to handle.
So let’s think about it. If the average adult is spending approximately 3 hours a day on their phones with their head tilted forward, that’s around 1000 hours a year of excess stress on the cervical spine! Over time this can cause all sorts of problems such as sore and inflamed muscles, chronic headaches and upper and lower back pain.
Outsmart your smartphone!
OK, so enough of the doom and gloom. How can we prevent text neck?
Well, it’s quite simple really. Awareness is key! When you first become aware you’re tilting your neck forward, do these 5 things…
- Bring your phone to eye level and tilt back your neck
- Draw your shoulder blades back and tuck in your chin – this will naturally align your spine
- Slowly move your neck round in a circular motion (right to left and then left to right) to stretch out those muscles
- Move your shoulders round in a circular motion to soothe and ease muscles
- Take a break from your phone for a few moments and breathe. When you go back to your phone you will have more awareness and greater ease in your spine.
Neck stretching can save your spine!We recommend you give your neck some much needed TLC on a daily basis. Whether it’s in the morning or before you go to bed, try some side-to-side neck tilts, backward and forward tilts, circular tilts and then finish off by giving your neck a good rub. And to top it off? We suggest a nice relaxing lavender infused bath! Heaven! If you’re worried that you may have text neck or any other injury, please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable experts at Brentwood Spinal Care Clinics, who would be happy to help.