Freedom From Pain
Newsletter Text Neck: Is your Smartphone Causing Your Neck Pain?
Harahan: (504) 733-0254 Marigny: (504) 943-8026 Uptown: (504) 309-5460 Freret: (504) 309-9400 CBD: (504) 733-0254 CALL TODAY! INSIDE: • Text Neck • Neck Stretching • Patient Results • Recipe • Exercise
Virtually unheard of two years ago, “text neck” is a repetitive strain injury that’s becoming more commonasmorepeoplehunchoversmartphones. Aggravatingmusclepain intheneckandshoulders, and sometimes lower back, is occurring even in teens and adolescents. “Typically, incidence of neck pain increases with age. Today, we’re seeing and treating more patients — younger patients —who never reported neck pain before,” says Robert Bolash, MD, a pain specialist at Cleveland Clinic. A load of hurt How can using a smartphone or other mobile device cause so much hurt? It’s all in how you look at it. Literally. Looking down, dropping your head forward, changes the natural curvature of your neck. Over time, that misalignment can strain musclesandcausewearandtearonthestructures of the neck. AccordingtoDr.Bolash,threethingshappenwhen you drop your head: 1. Your neck moves forward. 2. Your shoulders round forward or lift up toward your ears. 3. Your neck and shoulder muscles spasm (contract). “Neck muscles, in their proper position, are designed to support the weight of your head, about10to12pounds,”saysDr.Bolash.“Research shows that for every inch you drop your head forward, you double the load on those muscles. Looking down at your smartphone, with your chin to your chest, can put about 60 pounds of force on your neck.”
Besidesmusclepain, textneck cancauseahostof otherhealthconcerns.Sitting inaslumpedposition restricts your lungs’ ability to expand, impairing your lung capacity. Inhaling less oxygen means your heart needs to pump harder to distribute more oxygen-carrying blood through your body. Three tricks to nix text neck To nix text neck, improve your posture. Dr. Bolash recommends you: 1.Straightenup. Learn proper posture and neck alignment by peeking at your profile in a mirror. If you’re standing correctly, you should be able to draw a vertical line from your ear to your shoulder. 2. Arch back. If your posture isn’t perfect, try doing shoulder extensions. Arch your neck and upper back backward, pulling your shoulders into alignment under your ears. This simple stretch can alleviate stress and muscle pain. 3.Lookforward. Ratherthantiltingyourchindown to read your mobile device, raise the device to eye level. The same goes for your desktop computer. Your monitor screen should be at eye level so your head isn’t perpetually dropping and causing muscle strain.
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