Tag: shoulder pain

Text Neck

Text neck is not an actual medical diagnosis. It is a term coined to describe the symptoms associated with the overuse of technology such as cell phones. The typical text neck position is when you have your head forward and bent down while you are looking down at your phone. It can become a problem when you hold this position for hours at a time.

Looking down at your phone for hours at a time can dramatically increase the stress on your neck, upper back, and shoulders. The average head weighs about 12 pounds. Flexing the head forward to use a smartphone directly affects the spine. Tilting the head forward to 15 degrees places about 27 pounds of force on the neck. This increases to 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees, and 60 pounds at 60 degrees. Text neck can occur with the use of a desktop or laptop computer as well. If the monitor is not at the proper height it can cause you to hunch forward when using the computer. Damage caused by untreated text neck can be similar to occupational overuse syndrome or repetitive stress/strain injury.1

Text-neck

Typical symptoms associated with text neck include:

-Neck pain
-Headaches
-Upper back pain
-Shoulder pain
-Numbness/tingling in arms or hands
-Muscle aches and tension

Using proper posture while using your electronic device will go a long way towards reducing text neck pain. When using a phone or tablet bring the screen up to eye level rather than bending your neck down to look at the device. For more information on the proper setup for laptops and desktops see this previous blog post: http://flynndc.com/blog/index.php/2020/03/15/avoid-computer-pain-when-working-at-home/

Remember to take frequent breaks. The body was designed to move frequently. Even if you use proper posture you can still get pain if you hold one position for too long, so get up and move around.

Chiropractic adjustments can free up common text neck joint restrictions that can occur in the neck, upper back, and shoulders.

Stretching can help with muscle tension. The following stretches may help relieve text neck pain. These are for educational purposes only and can not replace the diagnosis from a licensed healthcare provider. Stop immediately if they cause an increase in symptoms.

Trapezius

Levator Scapulae 

Shoulder Rolls

Chest Stretch

Sean Flynn, DC
Sioux City, IA Chiropractor

1. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Text_Neck#cite_note-:0-1

2. Infographic from Chiroup

Avoid Computer Pain When Working At Home.

Thanks to improved remote working technology and 24/7 connectivity, employee demand for flexibility, and cost-savings opportunities, 60 percent of companies offer to telecommute, working remotely from home on an occasional or regular basis, according to the latest benefits survey from the Society for Human Resource Management. American employees are taking advantage.

Two decades ago, only 20 percent of companies offered it. A 2016 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that more employees are working from home than ever before.

In a Gallup poll released earlier this year, 43 percent of Americans said they spent at least some time working remotely. Combine this with the increase of entrepreneurs and people that run an online business out of their home; it seems this trend will only continue to grow.

Working from the comforts of your home is not always best for your joints and muscles. While some who work from home have a separate home office with a desk, desktop computer, and comfortable chair, many do not. A more typical setup up is the person slouched over a laptop on their couch or at the kitchen table. Some people even use their laptop while lying in bed. Improper laptop use can lead to various musculoskeletal issues.

The most important tip when working from home is to have a designated workstation with a comfortable office chair. While this would preferably be a height adjustable desk, not everyone has space or budget to have a freestanding desk in their home. If that is the case, then set up your workstation on a stable flat surface such as a kitchen/dining table or a countertop.

Your chair should be adjustable so you can get the proper body positioning and height when sitting, especially if you’re using a surface that is not height adjustable.

If you have a desktop computer at home, the top of the monitor screen should be at eye level.  It should be placed at least 20 inches from your eyes or about arms length away.  If you have armrests on you chair it will help decrease neck and upper back strain.  You arms should be close to your body and elbows bent at a 90 degree angle.  Your wrist should be in line with your forearms when typing and the mouse should be close by the keyboard.  If you have to reach for the keyboard or mouse it increases strain. 

Fewer people have desktop computers outside of their office as laptop computers have become more popular for their portability. Unfortunately, certain ergonomic features are compromised for the sake of portability. Keyboard spacing, screen size and positioning, and mouse touch pads are all poorly designed when it comes to laptop computers. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to have good posture when using a keyboard fixed to the laptop.

Computer vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com

With laptops the keyboard and monitor are attached to each other, so you can not have the keyboard at the proper height for your arms and have the screen at the proper height for your eyes at the same time.

If you have to look down at the screen all day it can lead to neck, upper back, and shoulder pain and produce a rounded hunched posture. Remember, the screen should be at a level that your eyes are in line with the top portion of the monitor while maintaining proper posture. As laptops tend towards smaller and smaller devices, the keyboard gets smaller and is not ideal for typing, and can place strain on the hands, wrists, and forearms.

If you put the laptop in a position where the screen is at a proper height it then forces you to reach for the keyboard to type. This again causes the rounded sitting posture and puts excessive stress on the shoulders, upper body and neck.

Despite the poor ergonomics inherent to laptops, there are certain steps you can take to improve your ergonomics when using a laptop.

  • You can get an inexpensive full sized wireless keyboard and mouse for your laptop.
  • Place a stand underneath the laptop so that the screen is at the optimal height that aligns with your eyes.
  • There are affordable stand up desk converters that you can place on top of your desk or table to make it into a standing desk. This is perfect for laptop users as you can easily go from seated to standing. 
  • Take a break every hour. Get up and move around.

Creating a better ergonomic home environment is easy if you follow the steps we have outlined above. Doing so will help improve productivity and the quality of your work, but will also help prevent stress and injury.

Sean Flynn, DC
Sioux City, IA Chiropractor

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