Can Text Neck Be Corrected?

Text neck is a significant issue that most people just giggle when they hear. But it is no laughing matter. I joke if your spine was on your face, people would take better care of it. But it’s not. Your brain and spinal cord control EVERYTHING, and are protected by the cranium and your vertebrae. When your head shifts forward, perhaps forward and down… as in looking at your phone… this puts a ton of pressure on the neck and spine. Text neck is a newer term, but in my world we call it anterior head carriage. Every inch your head goes forward puts an extra 10 pounds of pressure on the spine.

Have you ever been bowling? A bowling ball can be a variety of weights, so let’s say you grab a 10 pound ball. You can hold that 10 pound bowling ball when it’s close to your chest for a long time. But take that same ball and extend your arms out in front of you … how long do you think you can hold that same ball? My guess is not very long. That bowling ball is just like your head! When you have proper alignment of your head on your spine, your brain can communicate with your body and there is no interference! When the head shifts forward, then we put more stress on the spine. Your entire body has to adapt to the weight going forward. Muscles have to contract, discs get compressed, and joints from your neck down your spine wear out.

Many people come into the clinic stating they have lower back and knee pain. When I do the comprehensive evaluation and find they have major structural changes in their neck due to how far forward their head is and how that links to lower back AND knee pain. Man that blows most people out of the water! I hear from the patient, “but I don’t have neck pain”… Pain is typically the last symptom to show up. They may not have pain right now, but if we do not work on alignment of the spine, posture and core stability, the pain is inevitable.

Common symptoms associated with Text Neck:
Loss of mobility
Pain in neck, upper back, shoulder, lower back all the way down to the feet
Headaches
More severe: radiating pain down an arm
Balance issues
Jaw pain

Things you can do to help with alignment:
See Dr. Jamie regularly 🙂
Get off your phone… seriously
Raise the phone up when using it
Work on posture and neck range of motion exercises daily
Stand with good posture
Exercises regularly
Drink more water

Prevention is the name of the game. We live in a world where it is expensive to be and/or get sick. You only get one spine, so take care of it. Being under regular chiropractic care helps relieve the nervous system, align the spine and increase mobility. Taking care of your spine should start with our children to set them up for proper spinal alignment for their entire life!

Today’s world throws a lot at us from stress, physical wear and tear on the body, developmental, medical or social complications.. You name it, the body takes a beating. Often it is difficult to avoid bad habits like having poor posture and bad posture while using technology. Dr. Jamie at Healthmax Chiropractic of Hudson is here to keep your body aligned and your spine upright as much as possible.