‘Text Neck’ is real!

//‘Text Neck’ is real!

‘Text Neck’ is real!

By | 2020-03-09T09:39:12+00:00 November 28th, 2019|BLOG|Comments Off on ‘Text Neck’ is real!

 

So let’s talk about “text neck”…it’s become quite an epidemic of late! As the name suggests, “text neck” is caused when bending your neck for hours per day while staring at your Smartphones. We all do it!

Let’s look at the facts…

The human head weighs approximately 12 pounds, but as your neck bends forward and down, it puts extra weight on your cervical spine to approximately 60 pounds!

Can’t get your head around the significance of 60 pounds? (See what I did there?) Ok…imagine carrying an 8 year old child around your neck several hours per day…crazy, right?!

Smartphone users (myself included) are hunched over their phones sending texts, checking emails, checking social media sites for an average of 2-4 hours each day.

This poor posture, aka “text neck” can lead to early wear-and-tear on the spine, degeneration and even surgery.

Stretching the tissue for hours gets sore and gets inflamed. Believe it or not, it can cause muscle strain, pinched nerves, herniated discs, and it can also remove the necks natural curve!

So that’s the spine, what about the rest of the body?!

Well…poor posture can cause other problems.

Experts say it can reduce lung capacity by up to 30 percent. It has been known to cause headaches, neurological issues, depression and heart disease.

I know, it’s almost impossible to function without your phones. We just need to think about how we hold our heads.

Here are a couple of tips to avoid pain and discomfort.

  • Look down at your phone with your eyes, there’s no need to bend the neck.
  • Sounds obvious, but try holding your phone at eye level, same principle as having your PC at eye level.
  • Exercise: Move your head from left to right, try it now while you’re reading this blog from your Smartphone! Do this a few times a day.

Use your hands to provide resistance and push your head against them, forwards then backwards.

Stand in a doorway with your arms extended and push your chest forward to strengthen the sacred “muscles of good posture”!

  • Try having an Osteopathic treatment, they use techniques such as stretching, massage and manipulation through the muscles, tissues and joints of the body. Here at Bodilight Osteopathy Clinic in Milton Keynes, Osteopathy is our life, we love to “fix” people and educate you on how you can have a pain free life.

We love technology, let’s not bash it! Just be aware of the position of your neck. Keep your head held high!