Text Neck: Treatment and Prevention
Text neck is literally a pain in the neck. We all spend too much time hunched over, looking at our phones or tablets. This puts pressure on sensitive muscles and nerves. Summit Medical Care Center in Broomfield can help.
Why Does Text Neck Occur?
When your spine is aligned, your head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. At a 45-degree angle looking at your phone, this can be the equivalent of nearly 50 pounds of stress on your muscles. They simply aren’t meant to handle that kind of pressure consistently. This compresses the nerves and creates additional tension. Over time, this causes neck pain and can lead to more serious conditions if left untreated.
Symptoms of Text Neck
- Neck or upper back pain
- Sharp pains in the neck or shoulders
- General tightness in shoulders
- Headaches
- Trouble focusing
- Pain starting the neck and shoulders and radiating down the arms
While less common, long periods of what’s called "forward head posture" can impact your balance. Misalignments in the cervical spine and muscle imbalances can cause jaw pain. Failure to address the underlying cause can also lead to degenerative disc disease and other issues with your cervical nerve root.
Preventing Text Neck
- Take frequent breaks when using electronic devices
- Raise the phone closer to eye level to minimize your head tilt
- Practice better posture
- Stretch and exercise regularly
The more active you can be and less time you spend looking at your phone, the better off you will be.
Treatments for Text Neck
Chiropractic care can help ease the pain of text neck and correct the problem. Using a holistic approach, our doctor can make sure your spine is in the correct alignment to take the pressure off of your neck. Soft tissue massage can help reduce the pain and increase your mobility while exercises can help strengthen your muscles.
Chiropractic care can also help with headaches associated with text neck.
Chiropractor in Broomfield
When you need a chiropractor in Broomfield, the professionals at Summit Medical Care Center can handle all of your chiropractic care and massage needs. Using a combination of integrated medicine, holistic treatments, massage, and proper spine alignment, we can help reduce your pain from text neck.