Text neck is the term used to describe neck pain and damage sustained from looking down at your phone, computer screen, or tablet too often and for too long. Unfortunately, text neck is sweeping across the globe.
Symptoms associated with text neck include:
- Neck pain and soreness
- Upper back pain ranging from a chronic, nagging pain to sharp, severe upper back spasms
- Shoulder pain and tightness
- Shoulder spasms
- Possible pinched cervical nerves causing pain radiating down into your arm and hand
Check out this graphic that explains the extra pressure placed on your spine while you look down for prolonged periods of time. It tells you just how much extra force is placed on your spine at varying angles as you look down.
It’s no wonder that in the age of smart phones and computers, we are seeing an increase in neck pain, back pain, and more! Here are a few ways you can prevent text neck pain:
1. Use voice recognition while texting, or ::gasp:: pick up the phone and call someone instead
2. Take regular breaks from computer screens, phones, and tablets and change your head position
3. While working or using a smart device, bring the screen to eye level so you aren’t looking down
4. Perform neck stretches throughout the day such as these
5. And most importantly, in our opinion, get regular chiropractic adjustments to keep your spine and neck in alignment and your nervous system firing on all cylinders!
