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-neckTypical 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