The rise of the text neck relates to the rise of the smartphone
The rise of the text neck relates to the rise of the smartphone
If you're suffering from neck pain, there's a chance it could be linked to how often you're using your smartphone.
Research published in The Spine Journal by Jason M. Cuéllar and Todd H. Lanman has revealed that there's been an increase in young people reporting spine and neck related injuries, including alignment problems and disk hernias, ailments that typically occur in much older patients.
What's the cause? The way that you position your body (sitting, standing, lying down etc.) has a huge affect on the way the weight of your head is distributed across your body. When you're looking forward in a neutral position, for example, your head weighs between four and a half and five and a half kilograms, whereas, when you flex your neck at a 15-degree angle, it will feel more like 12 kilograms.
The more you move your neck at an angle, the more stress you're putting on your spine. Holding your head at a 60-degree angle will make it feel like 27 kilograms of weight on your neck.
This is how a lot of people will look at their phones, and they're not just doing this for a few minutes at a time. It can take up hours of a person's day. According to the researchers, the weight distribution problem is even worse when you're sitting down.
What can I do about my neck related pain? If you want to prevent this phenomenon of smartphone-related neck pain from occurring, Lanman and Cuellar recommend changing the way you use your phone.
Try holding it near eye level or in front of your face when texting, rather than looking down.
Another way to combat your neck related pain is to visit a professional Chiropractor who has been trained to deal with this particular issue. If you've noticed the onset of any neck pain or problems in the spine, we recommend getting to a chiropractor as soon as possible for an evaluation. If you're interested in relieving your smartphone-related back and neck pain, please get in touch with us at the Wimbledon Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic today