Is the endless scrolling on your device causing you neck pain? You might not know it, but constant social media browsing, swiping and texting is having a huge impact on your overall neck health. ‘Tech Neck’ is now a...
Is the endless scrolling on your device causing you neck pain? You might not know it, but constant social media browsing, swiping and texting is having a huge impact on your overall neck health. ‘Tech Neck’ is now a common health issue.
What is Tech Neck? It refers to neck pain and postural changes that occur with prolonged use on hand held devices.
We love our mobile phones!
On average, Australians spend 5.5 hours each day on their phone. A third of us check our phones within 5 minutes of waking up in the morning and 70% of us use mobile phones during meal times. This means we are glued to our phones from the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to sleep.
Hunching head forwards can damage neck
Mobile phone use often involves a tilt forwards of the head by 30-60deg, especially if the phone is resting in your lap. The average head weighs 5kg in an adult, but with a forward head bend of 30-60deg, the effective weight on the neck increases to 27kg! No wonder Tech Neck can cause neck pain.
The solution
Technology is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean Tech Neck has to. Changing a few habits can make a huge improvement to the stress placed on your neck. For instance, changing the way you hold your phone, so the screen is at eye level. This means you are less likely to be slouched in a forward-head position.
Ensuring you have good muscle tone, balance a flexibility is also essential to good spinal health. This is where help from a chiropractor, physiotherapist or massage therapist can make all the difference.
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