The Beginners Guide to Text Neck
Something for Everyone With Tech in Their Lives
Text neck is a phrase that has gained a lot of popularity alongside the development of modern technology. Everybody utilizes some sort of mobile device to go about their everyday activities, unfortunately this has now been proven to substantially impact our posture and overall health.
This newly developed diagnosis has become an epidemic in today's society. Although we like to point the finger at cell phones/mobile devices, we can also blame sitting at a desk where you are required to look down at a computer for long periods of time. Text neck is easily defined as a repetitive stress injury to the neck from looking down towards a phone, tablet, or computer for long periods of time.
Smartphone usage statistics suggest that an average person spends 2 hours and 51 minutes per day on their mobile device. What’s more, 22% of us check our phones every few minutes, and 51% of users look at it a few times per hour. However, I am confident that most people spend much more time on their phones than is suggested here.
If not monitored, this can lead to early degeneration, muscle imbalances, spasms, loss of the normal curve in the neck and even neurological symptoms for example, tingling/pain radiating down the arm or into the hands and fingers. This repetitive wear and tear on the spine can lead to serious complications or even surgery over time. Chronic poor posture has been linked to headache, depression, neurological dysfunction, heart disease, and even reduced lung capacity.
The human head weighs around 10lbs. The general rule of thumb is for every inch your ear is in front of your shoulders, there is an additional 10lbs of stress on your spine and paraspinal muscles. I like to think of this like a crane where your coconut is the payload, the muscles are the cables, and the boney bump at the base of your neck/upper back is the fulcrum. It's vital that this posture is monitored and addressed as soon as possible.
Three simple components to help combat text neck. First, get regular adjustments to mobilize stressed joints in the neck/upper back to maintain the proper mobility, nerve functions and to stabilize the normal curve of the spine. Second, soft tissue therapy/strengthening is ideal to restore proper muscle imbalances. Third, proper posture coaching is essential for people who work at computers or on their phones for long periods of time.
By no means are we trying to condemn technology, as this technology adapts and becomes more essential in our lives we also need to adapt and learn how to cope with the change. Here are Kore is our responsibility and passion to address these issues, educate people about these changes and continue to help out communities thrive in health and wellness.
