Now that almost everyone, even most children, has a phone/pocket computer in their pocket, you can see individuals slumped over their phones messaging everywhere you look. Text Neck is a relatively recent issue, and many people are unfamiliar with it. Text Neck is a term used to describe the rising prevalence of neck, upper back, and shoulder pain among many people. The pain usually begins in the neck and radiates outward.
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As you may have guessed, the term "Text Neck" refers to the pain that text messaging causes in the neck and upper back. Most people text while looking down, and some people do so for several hours each day. Many people are expected to spend two to four hours each day on their smartphones, messaging, reading and sending emails, checking social media, and using apps. That's 730–1,460 hours a year spent in an unnatural position, bending your head forward and down. Teenagers, who appear to be perpetually addicted to their cellphones and may spend over 5000 hours a year gazing down at their laps, have even worse statistics. It's not just cellphones either. Many young people and children utilize handheld video games and play them for hours at a time.
Neck and Forward Head Position When Texting
Text Neck causes the same concerns and problems as the "Forward Head Position," which chiropractors have long connected with it. We've all seen persons who are permanently bent over when they try to walk and need the assistance of a walker to keep from toppling over in extreme cases of forward head posture.
We now see young children suffering from neck pain as a result of bad posture from the hours they spend each day texting and playing portable video games owing to text neck. As more individuals spend hours each day text chatting and accessing social media on their phones, the situation is projected to worsen. Poor posture is at the foundation of the problem. Many individuals, particularly teens, quit making phone calls and began texting instead as smartphone capabilities evolved and turned into smart phones with unlimited messaging. Furthermore, smart phones with high-speed internet connections have brought social media and the internet to the phone. Individuals are spending more time peering down at their phones with each new capacity.
Neck Pain Caused by Poor Texting Posture
Bad posture is the leading cause of Text Neck. The normal human skull weighs 10-12 pounds, yet the more you bend your head forward and down (as most people do when texting), the more stress your neck and upper spine are put under. When you bend your head down at a 30 degree angle, it's like having a 40-pound head, and when you bend it down at a 60 degree angle, it's like having a 60-pound head — not the 10-12 pounds your neck is used to.
The cervical spine (neck) is built to perform a variety of critical functions:
Allow you to turn your head side to side and look up and down; protect the nerves that flow down from the brain and branch out throughout the body; and act as a shock absorber, protecting the brain from jolts and painful impacts.
Your neck curves in the shape of a "C," with the opening towards your back. If you look at a drawing of the full spine, you'll notice that it's in the shape of a "S." These curves are typical and required for the spine to absorb vertical shock, bend, and turn. However, texting and playing handheld video games with our heads in a downward position for long periods of time has a negative impact on the neck and upper spine.
The body follows where the head leads. The natural curvature of the neck is weakened by spending hours every day in a head down position. The cervical spine can be dragged into an upright position over time, or worse, the curvature of the neck can be reversed and bend in the wrong direction, instead of an elegant curving toward the rear. When the head is held in a forward and down position for an extended period of time, it pulls on the neck tissues, weakens the muscles, and causes the shoulders to round forward.
Text Neck-Related Issues
People usually initially notice something is wrong when they have neck pain and headaches. Text neck, on the other hand, can create a lot more issues than just a painful neck and headaches. The cervical spine protects the nerves in the neck, as discussed before in the article. The cervical spine (neck) and the upper back (thoracic spine) become misaligned when the neck is forced forward, causing pinched nerves and even herniated discs.
The spine's importance in nerve protection cannot be emphasized. The important nerves that go down the neck, into the back, and throughout our body are protected by the neck (cervical spine) and the rest of the spine. The spine protects the nerves from any possible obstruction.
The cervical spine (C1 – T5) has the largest impact on the nerves. The brain, eyes, pituitary glands, sinuses, face muscles, hearing, and other processes are all controlled by these nerves. These nerves can operate correctly when the vertebrae in your neck are properly positioned. Text Neck alters the size and shape of the holes in the spine that these neurons must use by altering the natural curve of your neck. When this happens, the nerves in the neck become pinched, and the nerves' capacity to operate is harmed. Pinched nerves in the neck can result in headaches, pain, sinus issues, thyroid issues, vision issues, high blood pressure, exhaustion, breathing issues, and a variety of other issues. (For further information, see our article on the cervical spine.) Text neck can cause herniated discs (slipped discs), disc degeneration, arthritis in the neck, and pain radiating down the arms in addition to pinched nerves.
Furthermore, spending a lot of time with your head bowed down limits your lung capacity, lowering the amount of oxygen that reaches your brain and circulates throughout your body. The body's resistance to sickness is lowered, and the healing process is slowed as a result of a lack of oxygen.
As your text neck problem worsens, it will begin to pull on the muscles and vertebrae of the thoracic spine (upper back), causing subluxations (spinal bone misalignments) and pinched nerves. Your shoulders will begin to curve forward, resulting in bad posture, weakening muscles, and a hunched-over appearance.
Take Preventative Measures to Avoid Text Neck
Text neck awareness, including what causes it and the difficulties it creates, should serve as a wakeup call to consider how much time we spend with our heads in an unhealthy posture. Simply raising the phone of the video game to a higher position will be quite beneficial.
Second, make an effort to get up and move around for at least 10 minutes each hour. We already sit too much, and sitting too much creates its own set of issues. (See our post on the dangers of sitting too much, and here's a link to an app that will remind you when it's time to stand up.)
Third, anyone who spends a lot of time texting or engaging in any activity that requires your head to be in a downward posture should see a chiropractor on a regular basis so that the vertebrae in your neck (cervical spine) can be gently repositioned. Spending time with your neck in a suboptimal position will almost certainly result in subluxations (misalignments) that must be rectified.
Text Neck and Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors are the most qualified experts in the medical field when it comes to treating text neck and related issues. Because stiff neck is caused by misalignment of the vertebrae in the neck (cervical spine), it's only reasonable to seek treatment from a chiropractor who is qualified to ensure that your vertebrae are properly aligned.
The physicians at ChiroSolutions Center will be able to show you on an x-ray exactly what problems your text neck has produced, as well as how far along your disease has progressed. Then they'll be able to remedy the problem, reversing the effects of text neck, restoring proper nerve function, and putting an end to the discomfort and issues produced by text neck.
There is a lot of talk about wellness and preventative care in health care nowadays. Chiropractic therapy is one of the most effective methods of wellness and prevention. Having your neck and back adjusted on a regular basis can prevent a lot of problems from occurring in the first place. We all know that texting with your head down causes subluxations (misalignments) in the neck – at any age — sooner or later. After that, it's only a matter of time before you start to feel and experience headaches and other text neck-related issues. Take precautions now to avoid text neck.
Every day, the doctors at ChiroSolutions Center assist patients in correcting difficulties caused by neck and spinal misalignments. One of the issues is text neck. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors, please call ChiroSolutions Center at +1 757-271-0001. Many people are still unaware of the growing problem of text neck. If any of your friends or family members are heavy texters, please share this information with them.
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Name: ChiroSolutions Center
Address: 4460 Corporation Lane Suite 102, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: +1 757-271-0001