How Can Chiropractic Treatment Help Text Neck?
Is chronic neck pain starting to interfere with your daily life? If you regularly find yourself massaging your neck or dealing with acute pain from your shoulders to your fingertips, the problem might be your cell phone.
Today, a condition called text neck is wrecking the necks of smartphone users everywhere, and a few changes in how you use this device can make all the difference for your health.
What is Text Neck?
Just like the name implies, text neck is a condition caused by overstraining the muscles in your neck. When you look down, your neck needs to exert itself to support the extra weight of your head, which can range from 20 to 60 pounds, depending on your posture.
It’s also possible to get text neck from activities like reading, but most people spend significantly more time looking at their phones each day. In fact, a recent study found that almost 80 percent of American adults under 45 kept their phones on their person throughout the day, meaning that each notification triggered them to increase the strain on their neck. Worst of all, pinched nerves in your neck can lead to pain throughout your body, including your shoulders, back, arms and fingers.
How to Reduce Your Risk of Text Neck
Proper posture is the best way to reduce your risk of suffering from text neck, which means you need to be more aware of your automatic behavior when you reach for your cell phone. Be mindful of how you position the screen in front of your face, and try to keep it raised to eye level as much as possible. You should also be intentional about how you set up your workstation so that you can look at your computer monitor straight on without bending your head.
It's also a good idea to take technology breaks throughout the day to stretch, roll your neck, and refresh your posture. Setting an alarm to go off every thirty minutes is a good way to remind yourself to regularly move and ensure you aren’t feeling the strain in certain parts of your body.
Get Professional Help for Text Neck at Smith Chiropractic
While changing your posture can relieve your symptoms, it won’t repair the damage that improper cell phone use has already caused for your neck and shoulders. For this, you need the help of a chiropractor. If you live in Colorado Springs, Smith Chiropractor can help you reduce your risk of suffering long-term problems from the complications of text neck.
You can contact us today to book an appointment, and we’ll work with you soon to bring your neck back to the best health possible.
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Chiropractic
Neck Pain Treatment
