Text neck is set to become the next pandemic for neck pain. A growing number of both young adults and teens are now suffering from this new form of neck pain induced by spending too much time looking at their mobile devices and tablets. Unfortunately there’s no way to stop us from using our smart phones and laptops but there are some easy ways to protecting yourself from becoming a patient of text neck.
People in general tend to use their technological devices from anywhere between 2 to 4 hours a day. This totals up to 700 to 1,400 hours a year spend looking down at a screen. For every 15 degrees that you turn your head down you add 20 pounds of pressure. The lower you look the worse it gets. 60 degrees is the most common angle for viewing devices and that in turn adds 60 pounds of pressure on your neck which is also sent down your spine.
When we apply so much pressure to the neck what it results in is a herniated disk, bulging disk or even arthritis. Most of these health issues were more common in much older adults but are now being found in pre-teens and teens too. The below video illustrates 4 easy exercises that can help you prevent text neck.
Carrying out these 4 simple exercises daily will help alleviate any pain that arises from looking at a screen for too long. We agree that its tough to stay away from technology in this day and age but always remember that your health comes first and any chronic pain that’s related to the spine should not be taken be taken lightly.