The approximate weight of a human head is about 5.5kg and when its bent over at an angle, as in the case of texting on your phone, making your spine work extra hard to keep up with this weight, it can weigh up to 28kg. This shifts your head out of the centre of gravity of your body, making your head’s weight feel much heavier. The shift, in turn, puts stress on your neck or cervical spine.
The average human (average age 30) sends at least 3,000 texts per month and spends roughly 2-4 hours daily bending over their phones, making the ‘text neck’ problem worse. This can potentially lead to pinched nerves, herniated discs, headaches, and sharp pains in severe cases. It is advisable to try as much as possible to avoid your phone or do one or more of the following activities to help improve your situation
Talk, don’t type
You could always avoid texting and opt to use voice recognition to type out the words for you. Avoid ‘text neck’ by maximising on Siri. The best way to use such commands is when you are facing forward as if talking to someone. If using your phone for such commands is not possible, purchase a device with a bigger screen so the device can be held farther away so that the neck is facing forward
Work it out
Stretching and workouts could be a good solution to ‘text neck’. Many modern phones come with inbuilt applications, such as the HeadUp app or Text Neck Indicator that have posture indicators that remind you to put your head straight in case you start bending your head too much. These apps also take you through physical exercises to strengthen the neck muscles and fight off neck pain.
If you don’t feel like downloading apps for such needs, consider incorporating some core strengthening exercises into your workout routine to ensure your neck can handle prolonged exposure to stressful situations. At Kiama Family Chiropractic we can assist you with strengthening and stretching exercises to suit your situation.
Practice good posture
Many people fail when the subject of good posture is being discussed. Slouching is an easy habit to get into and a particularly difficult one to let go. To help improve your posture and avoid ‘text neck’:
• Pretend that someone is above you pulling a string from the top of your head. This should help you to keep your head up and shoulders back.
• If you work at a desk, ensure you have good ergonomics for your desk and chair.
Final thoughts
Improving your home office ergonomics, watching your posture, and doing some simple corrective exercises can all help to ease the symptoms of ‘text neck’. If symptoms still persist or are getting worse, you may need to make an appointment and gets things checked more thoroughly. A proper diagnosis and specific chiropractic care where appropriate may work well. Referral for further investigation may be necessary in severe cases and where you haven’t responded to conservative care.
Give Kiama Family Chiropractic a call on (02) 4232 2614 and let us help reduce your neck pain.