“Text neck” — the term given to the damage caused by looking down at our phones for extended periods of time—is becoming an epidemic here in Clearwater.
Not only is our reliance and fixation with our cell phones taking a negative toll on our social interactions, it is now also impacting our physical health. As our obsession with digital devices increases, the health of our bodies is declining.
At Coastal Chiropractic Rehab and Wellness, we are a Clearwater chiropractic treatment clinic that sees patients on a regular basis suffering from this condition, formerly known as Forward Head Posture (FHP).
When you crane your neck forward, the weight on of your head increases; in fact, inching it forward just a few inches can put 20 or more pounds of pressure on your neck. This unnecessarily added stress and pressure on your neck leads to ailments in your spine, as well as headaches and shoulder pain.
Text neck is the result of repeatedly putting stress on the vertebrae, muscles and discs in our spine/neck. The injury and damage is caused by hanging our head forward for extended periods of time, often because we spend hours looking at our mobile devices. And it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Every day, it seems there are more and more reasons to look at our phones.
How Coastal Chiropractic Treatment of Clearwater Can Help
Chiropractic treatment helps correct misalignments in the spine, which can help both treat and prevent damage caused by text neck. Through gentle massages, manipulations and adjustments, our chiropractor can help you improve the health and functioning of your spine, and reduce the chances of you suffering from text neck.
In addition to visiting our Clearwater office for chiropractic treatment, below are some additional steps you can take to help prevent, treat and undo the damage caused by texting.
- Limit your use of digital devices. Carving out specific periods of time in your day to check your text messages, social media accounts, etc. will allow you to be more conscious of how often you are using your phone, and you’ll avoid absent mindedly scrolling through your phone. Bonus: your productivity will also likely improve!
- Maintain proper posture. Text neck isn’t just about the time you spend on your phone. It also encompasses the damage caused by sitting for prolonged periods of time at your desk/computer—especially if you are doing so with a curved spine. Make sure you are sitting with your legs comfortably rested on the floor, a straight, supported spine and your elbows rested at a 90 degree angle.
- Exercise your neck. At various times throughout your day, take a break to perform some cervical range of motion neck stretches.
Stop letting your daily habits be such a pain in your neck. To learn more about chiropractic treatment for text neck, or to schedule an appointment with our Clearwater clinic, give us a call today!