How Can Chiropractic Treatment Help Text Neck?

Chronic, acute neck pain is so prevalent in the world today that it’s easy to assume it’s a natural part of life.

Don’t be fooled. It’s not.

Instead, the wave of new cases of chronic neck pain can almost all be attributed to “text neck,” a condition caused by looking down at your phone too long. The average time we are looking down at our phones is 4 hours daily! While changing your behavior can help, it’s often necessary to visit a chiropractor as well.

WHAT IS TEXT NECK?

The popularity of the smartphone in the past decade means that many of us are spending more time crouched over a small screen that our bodies cannot evolve to deal with. This tilted angle puts unprecedented strain on your neck and shoulder muscles, which can lead to chronic pain.

Just how common is text neck today? A recent study found that almost 80 percent of US adults keep their phone within reach at all times, meaning that they are looking down at it for hours each day. This leads to far more pressure than usual on your neck, which can result in lifelong damage to your cervical spine and stabbing neck pain. While other activities (like reading a book) can put your neck under the same strain, cell phones have made the posture far more common, which is why the condition has exploded around the world.

3 WAYS TO REDUCE TEXT NECK

If you aren’t ready to toss aside your cell phone for good, there are still measures you can take to reduce the strain of text neck and keep your neck healthy for the long term. Follow these three tips to prevent permanent damage to the structure of your neck.

1. Pay attention to your posture:
   How often are you keeping your neck at a slant? Monitor your posture and correct when you see yourself crouching, and you can prevent the worst of text neck.
2. Keep screens at eye level:
   Don’t keep your phone in your lap, instead hold it up to your face so that you don’t bend your head down to look at it.
3. Take technology breaks:
   If your eyes get bleary from staring at a screen, you can set alarms for every thirty minutes to remind yourself to get up and stretch.

WHEN TO VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR FOR TEXT NECK

You can’t afford to ignore the symptoms of text neck. For those looking for chiropractic care in Naples, Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology can help you get your symptoms under control and prevent any long-term damage. To learn more, you can book an appointment today. We look forward to bringing you to better health soon.