Text Neck and other synonyms used to explain the neck pain and headaches you are experiencing are real and directly related to how you are using your smart phone. In fact anytime your crank your neck forward, whether on your phone, using your laptop, or any other time you neck is forward of your shoulders there is extreme stress on your neck.
Your head weighs about 10-12 pounds. A new study, from spinal surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, quantifies the actual pressure on your neck from bending your neck forwards. When your ears are directly over your shoulder the apparent pressure on your neck is 0 pounds. As you neck flexes forward the stress on your neck increased. With your neck flexed forward 15 degrees your head feels like 27 pounds on your neck, at 30 degrees it is 40 pounds. From 40 degrees upward it is almost 1 pound per angle degree.
Why should this matter? Well there are reasons- one short term and the other long term.
Short term is pain and headaches. The long term is that the more forward you shoulders are to your sacrum, (or butt), the greater the chance of you ending up in a nursing home….really!
Your neck is made up of 7 small vertebrae, or bones, which have responsibility of holding your head up. The vertebrae are connected with ligaments and moved by muscles. In addition to supporting your head, the vertebrae protect the spinal cord which connects your brain to all the cells in your body. The spinal cord needs to pass through the neck before it gets to the rest of the body. 8 pair of nerves exits your neck. As the nerves exit your neck vertebra, some nerves travel up the back of the head, others control the muscles of your neck, travel down your arms, or control your diaphragm (for breathing) to name a few.
As your head goes forward gravity tries to force your head towards the ground. The muscles of your neck have to work harder to counterbalance the forces of gravity. A tug-of-war ensues, which gravity eventually wins and your posture degrades.
Your body has an incredible ability to adapt, so this doesn’t happen overnight. Overtime, your neck muscles get tight, the small joints in your neck get overwhelmed and inflamed, which can lead to irritation of your spinal nerves, and in time the pain sensors of the joints and muscles get activated. First you might just feel a little tightness or tension in your neck, but if ignored and you do not correct your poor neck mechanics pain can start. The pain could be manifested as headaches, neck pain or tingling in your arm(s). You might find yourself a dangerous driver as your range of motion slowly decreases. All this usually happens very slowly, until one day the pain starts to really scream. Pain is your body’s way of saying something is wrong. In these overuse scenarios you get a lot of warning signs before the severe pain. The longer you ignore the symptoms, or mask them with NSAIDs, or pain killers, the more damage you are probably doing.
Most of my patients who present with neck pain, unless they were in a car accident, or injury, will say, “I don’t know what happened, why I am in pain?” We do a thorough examination and note the tight muscles, restricted motion, nerve irritation, poor posture, and loss of joint motion in the neck. From the exam, I can usually tell them that their neck pain was most likely caused my micro-trauma from faulty ergonomics. Often with these patients I find arthritic changes as well, which can occur in patents as early as their 20s. I am seeing this more and more over the last 10 years as people of all age are spending way too much time with their heads cranked forward looking at their phones.
Your posture adapts to the stresses on it. Like braces on teeth, over time your body will adapt. Keep your head flexed forward long enough and gravity wins the tug of war. You get very tight muscles and your upper body starts to looks like a big C. Yes it looks bad, but more importantly, a recent study has shown that the further you head goes forward the more likely you are going to need assistance as you age, and the greater chance you have to end up in a nursing home! Yes, that was the conclusion of a study published in 2013. The further forward you neck/upper back junction was relative to your 1st sacral segment (just below your belt line), statistically the more dependent one becomes on assistance doing their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which include: bathing; feeding; dressing; getting in and out of bed; and toileting. The author concludes in this study, “Spinal posture changes with age, but accumulated evidence shows that good spinal posture is important in allowed the aged to maintain independent lives”.
So what do you need to start doing today? Use good body mechanics. Limit the time you spend on your smart phone, or any device that requires you to flex your neck forward including your laptop. Keep your head straight and hold your smart phone at eye level with your hands. When you do find yourself doing activities which require you to flex your neck, take breaks at least every 15 minutes. There is an amazing stretch called the Bruegger’s Position. To watch how to do this click this link: https://performancehealthcenter.wistia.com/medias/e35vhg2ehd
If you are already having neck pain or your posture has started to move forward, you may need help to release the muscle spasms, improve spinal motion and correct your posture. Chiropractic care is a great option. At Performance Health Center we specialize in helping people get out of pain and optimize function. If you already have arthritis in your spine, there is bad news and good news. The bad news is that the arthritis cannot be reversed. The good from 32 years of clinical experience is that you are not doomed and if you follow your recommended course of treatment your arthritis may be arrested, or at least be slowed as you age. We have many before and after x-rays that document this.
The take away from this blog is that you can use technology and there are strategies you can use to prevent injury. Keep your head up! Maintain good posture and flexibility! If you are starting to get symptoms, or notice your posture is not looking good, GET HELP! At Performance Health Center we are here to help you enjoy pain-free healthy living! Why wait! Get started today. You’ll be glad short term and long term.
For more information, email me at [email protected] , or call the office at 508-655-9008.