Page 42 - Harnett Life Fall 2019

TEXT NECK

By Ryan Beck D.C. QNCP There are many stretches that can help combat the presence

of text neck such as the common yoga moves, downward dog
and cat-cow. The downward dog position may help open up
the anterior chest wall and shoulders which are commonly
tightened with forward head posture and hunching of the back.
Cat-Cow can help increase the flexibility of the neck, shoul-
ders, and spine. The movement may also stretch the muscles
of the hips, back, and abdomen all of which may be tightened
by “poor posture.”

In addition to the stretches it is also important to try to hold
your phone at eye level and take breaks whenever possible.
Chiropractic may also help. Chiropractors can perform gentle
spinal manipulations to help restore normal movement and
function and many therapies such as electrical stimulation to
help decrease muscle spasms and tenderness.

Text neck may sound silly but it has become a real prob-
lem. Next time you are on your phone try to remember these
stretches and tips and help prevent yourself from any of the
problems associated with it.

The Doctors at Beck & Blackley Chiropractic Clinic will be
happy to speak to you about the information in this article or
any other health related questions that may concern you. Just
give either office a call (910) 739-5751 Lumberton or (910)
Cellphones have become an essential part of our daily lives. 865-2100 St. Pauls or find us on the web @ beckandblackley-
They have come to replace calculators, alarm clocks, maps, ra- chiro.com.
dios, and even computers. They are a source of constant con-
nection. Which makes it easy to understand why each day the
average American spends nearly 5.5 hours on their phone. All
that time spent looking down is starting to create serious spinal
health problems. One of which has been named “Text Neck.”

Text neck is a condition that is formed when you overuse your
neck, back and shoulder muscles by keeping yourself in a
hunched over position, typically the position that occurs when
you spend a lot of time looking down and forward, such as you
would when you are looking at your phone.

The average human’s head weighs 10-14 pounds. For every
inch your head is tilted forward, from its normal position, such
as looking down at a phone, the weight your neck is forced
to carry doubles. The increased weight load on the neck can
lead to forward head posture causing muscle imbalances as the
body tries to adapt. These imbalances can cause pain and ten-
derness across the neck, back and shoulders. If left untreated
the symptoms can lead to more serious and long term prob-
lems including headaches, disc bulges or herniation’s, carpal
tunnel syndrome, shoulder problems and pinched nerves.
Page 42 Harnett Life ~ Fall 2019