Category: Neck Pain

Got Text Neck? Chiropractic Care Can Help

admin |

If you’re reading this on a mobile device, it’s likely you’re craning your neck down to read it. After all, holding our phones and tablets up to our faces is weird and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the neck and shoulder pain that stems from bad screen time posture is even more uncomfortable in the long run.

Dubbed “text neck” in pop culture, thanks to the amount of time many of us spend texting, reading and playing games on our phones, this can lead to chronic pain, fatigue, headaches and jaw pain if left unaddressed. Yes, you can make lifestyle changes to mitigate damage—but if you’re like the majority of Americans, you spend about four hours per day looking at your phone. It’s hard to maintain perfect posture every time you go to answer your latest message.

Luckily, text neck is a condition that benefits from treatment at a chiropractic clinic in Naples, FL.

Do you have text neck?

Text neck is characterized by neck, shoulder and spine pain, thanks to our propensity for looking down at mobile devices. Your head weighs anywhere from eight to 12 pounds, and when you look down for hours at a time, it puts immense stress on the muscles and connective tissues in your neck. Studies estimate that 80 percent of Americans keep their cell phones in reach at all times, and spend multiple hours per day looking down at them.

If left unaddressed, text neck can develop into chronic pain. It’s crucial to not only make lifestyle adjustments, but also have a chiropractor assist you by providing spinal adjustments.

How to start reducing your text neck symptoms

Obviously, we can’t completely ditch our devices. They’re necessary for work, personal communications and entertainment. Here are three ways you can reduce your text neck symptoms:

  • Posture check: Check in with yourself periodically to see if you’re slouching or tilting your head down. Try setting hourly or half-hourly reminders on your phone until it becomes a habit. When you notice yourself tilting your head down, adjust your spine and neck until you’re able to work, read or chat comfortably.
  • Try keeping screens at eye level: You won’t always be able to hold your screen up at eye level, but this will help reduce pain and other text neck symptoms. If you love to watch movies and shows on your tablet or phone, get a phone stand that will hold the phone at a comfortable position. There are plenty of gooseneck adjustable stands and other options that will help you keep your neck in a stable position.
  • Take breaks: Screen time is not only bad for your neck and shoulders, it’s also bad for your eyes. Take technology breaks when you start to feel achy and bleary-eyed, and schedule regular stretching breaks every half hour or so. Bonus: it’ll help keep you feeling focused.

When you need a chiropractor to help you deal with text neck in Naples, FL, visit Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology. Call us today to book an appointment.

How Can Chiropractic Treatment Help Text Neck?

admin |

Chronic, acute neck pain is so prevalent in the world today that it’s easy to assume it’s a natural part of life.

Don’t be fooled. It’s not.

Instead, the wave of new cases of chronic neck pain can almost all be attributed to “text neck,” a condition caused by looking down at your phone too long. The average time we are looking down at our phones is 4 hours daily! While changing your behavior can help, it’s often necessary to visit a chiropractor as well.

What Is Text Neck?

The popularity of the smartphone in the past decade means that many of us are spending more time crouched over a small screen that our bodies cannot evolve to deal with. This tilted angle puts unprecedented strain on your neck and shoulder muscles, which can lead to chronic pain.

Just how common is text neck today? A recent study found that almost 80 percent of US adults keep their phone within reach at all times, meaning that they are looking down at it for hours each day. This leads to far more pressure than usual on your neck, which can result in lifelong damage to your cervical spine and stabbing neck pain. While other activities (like reading a book) can put your neck under the same strain, cell phones have made the posture far more common, which is why the condition has exploded around the world.

3 Ways to Reduce Text Neck

If you aren’t ready to toss aside your cell phone for good, there are still measures you can take to reduce the strain of text neck and keep your neck healthy for the long term. Follow these three tips to prevent permanent damage to the structure of your neck.

  1. Pay attention to your posture:
    How often are you keeping your neck at a slant? Monitor your posture and correct when you see yourself crouching, and you can prevent the worst of text neck.
  2. Keep screens at eye level:
    Don’t keep your phone in your lap, instead hold it up to your face so that you don’t bend your head down to look at it.
  3. Take technology breaks:
    If your eyes get bleary from staring at a screen, you can set alarms for every thirty minutes to remind yourself to get up and stretch.

When to Visit Your Chiropractor for Text Neck

You can’t afford to ignore the symptoms of text neck. For those looking for chiropractic care in Naples, Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology can help you get your symptoms under control and prevent any long-term damage. To learn more, you can book an appointment today. We look forward to bringing you to better health soon.