Since everyone uses their smartphone, laptops and other mobile devices several hours every day, the risk of getting a text neck (tech neck) is higher than before. Our heads weighs an average of 4.5 kilograms, which can put high levels of pressure to the spine when tilted forward. According to a recent study, tilting your head 30 degrees forward puts 18kg of pressure on your spine. The pressure increases as you further tilt the head forward.
The increased pressure will lead to pain on your spine and pulled muscle. You can also experience severe cases like herniated discs and pinched nerves, which might lead to surgery. This article is about some of the ways of avoiding tech neck.
Symptoms of tech neck
The most common symptoms of tech neck are;
- Neck and shoulder pains
- Chronic headaches
- Curved spine (most common in children)
How to prevent or reverse the effects of tech neck
Stretch regularly
Stretching and strengthening your neck area muscles can help you prevent tech neck and also alleviate some of the pain if you are already a tech neck sufferer. Some of the exercises you can do to stretch your neck include; the exaggerated nod, downward- facing dog, cat-cow, padahastasana, bow pose and many more. All these are simple exercises that you can do at home or even at the office.
Practice good posture
You can practise a good posture by changing how you use your phone or your laptop. The best way to use these devices is by bringing their screens to your eye level so your head is not tilted forward or upwards. The best posture is having your years in line with your shoulders as it will help you avoid a tilted-head posture for a long duration.
Take phone breaks
Since it is not possible to stay without phones, you can start taking some breaks from your phone’s screen to prevent tech neck. Staying away from your phone for some time will help you avoid the forward posture and the more you are out of that posture, the less pressure you put on the neck and back muscles and tendons.
Avoiding texting can also be of help, especially among young people. Texting is one of the major reasons why most people under thirty stare at their phone screens for hours. You can greatly minimise your screen time if you practise calling instead of texting.
Get chiropractic care
If you experience prolonged pains, the best solution is to get professional help. A Sunbury Chiropractor can get you adjusted to relieve the pain and correct the posture issues caused by tech neck. Chiropractors are experienced professionals who focus of treatment of neuromuscular disorders, mostly through manual adjustment or the manipulation of the spine.
Parting Words
Tech neck is a global problem that requires both individual and collective measures to solve. While we cannot live without modern devices, we must come up with ways to avoid the adverse effects of their frequent use. The above tips can help you avoid tech neck or any pains caused by a prolonged tech neck.
