Is your cell phone causing your neck pain and headaches?
- Posted on: Oct 8 2019
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Black spa stone with set of acupuncture needles on tray
According to Melanie Curtin, a writer for Inc.com, the average person spends 4 hours a day looking at their cell phones. That is a long time looking down, which in the long term can cause many neck disorders or what experts are calling it “text neck”. Text neck is a new term that refers to early wear and tear on the neck, back and shoulders, spinal degeneration, herniated discs and possible need for surgery. Luckily, Physical Therapy and Acupuncture can help, before it is too late.
- Children, teens and young adults are affected worse in this epidemic of text neck. According to Doctor Cornelia Carter, pediatric orthopedic “More children are suffering from neck and back problems because of time spent on phones, tablets, and other devices”. It is all related to how children are sitting while using a cell phone or tablet.
- A Physical Therapist can teach you or your child how to correct this problem and to improve your cell phone or tablet ergonomics (study of people’s efficiency in their working environment). According to the article, Cell Phone Ergonomics: How To Avoid The “Smart Phone Slump”, by Maryann Berry, When we hold our head in a healthy, neutral position, the forces to the cervical spine are about 10-12 pounds, however when we hold our head at 60 degrees of flexion and or looking down at our smart phones, it is equivalent to 60lbs sitting on top of your head. Cumulatively this amounts 700 to 1,400 hours per year of excess stress placed on the cervical spine. To make matters even worse, high school students are spending an extra 5,000 hours bent over reading, texting, and typing on their devices. Imagine the impact that is having on our necks and backs!
- What can you do? Holding the phone at eye level is harder than it looks. Proper training and exercise can change your life for the better and prevent further damage from phone use.
https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/cell-phone-ergonomics-how-to-avoid-the-smart-phone-slump
https://www.advancedpmr.com/blog/category/neck/
Posted in: Acupuncture
