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If you haven’t heard about Text Neck yet, this has become a new buzzword in the health industry to describe a very common issue that impacts people today. Text neck is a condition that formed when you overuse your neck, back and shoulder muscles by keeping yourself in a hunched over position, typically the position that occurs when you spend a lot of time looking down and forward, such as you would when looking on a mobile device. When you keep yourself in this position, it can cause serious strain on the spine. Text Neck is more than just a cautionary tale that parents can use to keep their kids off their phones, it is a real issue and something that can cause daily pain and discomfort as well as life-long damage to your spine. While Text Neck is a real and serious issue, the good news is it is also one that can be improved with chiropractic care, if you take the time to visit your chiropractor and get the assistance that you need.
Before you start learning about some of the ways chiropractic care can help Text Neck, it is important to realize some of the most startling facts about this condition. If left untreated, long-term forward neck posture can lead to disc herniation and pinched nerves. It can also impact the natural curve you are supposed to have in your neck. If you look at the x-rays of a healthy individual without Text Neck, you will see a nice subtle curve in their spine. Someone with Text Neck will instead have an alarmingly straight spine that does not have this important curve.
The reason the neck changes so much when it is in this position, is that the average adult head weighs between 10-12 pounds, and when you tilt that head forward and down to look at your phone you are increasing the gravitational pull on your neck and applying a great deal of pressure to this delicate area of your spine. This force is the equivalent of 60 pounds of extra weight.
Many people who suffer from Text Neck will start to feel pain, discomfort and tightness in their neck, shoulders and upper back. However, this condition also applies extra pressure to your nervous system, meaning it can lead to pain and discomfort all over the body and it can be causing issues in your arms and hands, in your low back and lead to headaches, and other serious health issues.
Text Neck is a serious issue and one of the first things that you can do to start combating the signs of Text Neck is to start improving your posture. Work on keeping your back straight, your shoulders back and try to maintain a neutral spine when using technology. This not only applies to mobile devices, but e-readers, tablets, laptops and computers as well.
Remember, when you visit your chiropractor and they tell you that you have damage from your posture, or Text Neck, it won’t necessarily be a quick fix to restore the curve in your neck and get you to be pain free. The damage you have done has been from hundreds of hours of keeping your head in this position. A problem that has been building this long, won’t be fixed in a matter of minutes. However, if you are willing to put the time into visiting your chiropractor on your recommended healthcare plan, you can get the assistance you need to restore your neck and start living the pain-free life you deserve.
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