There is no doubt that technology has vastly improved people’s lives. Consider this very moment — you are educating yourself on improving your health through an online blog! Technology is pretty amazing, but it does come with a price and one of them is text neck. Here’s what you need to know about what text neck is and how you can prevent it.
Text Neck Symptoms
Do you think you might have text neck? If you use a lot of technology in your daily life, you just might! Text neck symptoms include:
Tightness and pain in your shoulders
Headaches that worsen when you use a computer or handheld device
Neck or upper back pain when using your device
Intense nagging or sharp pain in your neck or shoulders at the end of the day
Don’t Shrug Off Slouching
One issue that often leads to text neck is slouching over as people tend to do when using their handheld devices. Poor ergonomics combined with poor posture is one way to develop text neck. Think about when you sit in the same position for a long period of time. Your body becomes used to it, even if your alignment is all wrong and it can quickly become your body’s new normal. This can make you more likely to become injured when you aren’t using technology, as your body is used to holding itself up incorrectly.
To correct this, keep proper posture in mind when using technology. Set up an ergonomically correct workspace so you don’t have to force your neck down to look at your computer screen. You should also have a supportive chair that is as the correct height. When using your phone, try to hold it out in front of you rather than looking down at it. No matter what form of technology you’re using, take frequent breaks. A good rule of thumb for every twenty minutes of screen time, look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds to reset.
How About Hands-Free?
If you are required to spend a lot of time on the phone every day, try going hands-free. This will keep you from craning your neck to keep your phone in the crook of your ear, prevent you from tilting your head down to look at your computer screen, and save you from constantly needing to look at your phone to check emails and texts on the go.
Here at Healthy Life Chiropractic, we are big supporters of enjoying the benefits of technology (especially when it comes to chiropractic!), but don’t let it negatively impact your health. To learn more about how we can help improve your health and wellness, click here to schedule a consultation!