When my daughter, who had just started her freshman year in college, texted me to say that she had a horrendous headache, I asked whether she had been doing anything differently. “No,” she replied, “I’ve just been doing a lot of reading.” Ah ha! One puzzle piece illuminated! It turns out that she had been spending in inordinately amount of time with her head in a forward flexed position.
I have been reading reports of a condition called, “text neck.” Stories of head and neck pain in kids as young as 8 years old are now common. Although the term text neck is catchy and descriptive, the condition arises with any activity with the head is in a forward flexed position for too long. With the emerging use of smart phones, it is no wonder why this condition is becoming more prevalent.
The head weighs about 12 pounds. When it is flexed forward, there is over double the amount of weight pulling on the structures of the neck and upper spine. The more forward the head, the more weight is placed on the spine. Spinal deformities are now seen in young children. And remember, it is not just texting that can be a culprit. Any type of activity can lend itself to this unnatural posture. What happens over time is that the spinal structures began to adapt and a loss of the natural curvature of the spine results causing degenerative conditions to wreak havoc on your quality of life. It is an ugly story and one to avoid at all costs.
If you find yourself experiencing more neck pain or headaches, or if your kids are complaining of the same, here are 5 tips to help you out:
Become aware of your posture. This is the most important and useful advice you will ever hear. So much back pain, neck pain and headaches can be related to body position. Think like a dance teacher. Chin back, shoulders back and down, core engaged so that the muscles of the torso are supporting the spine and you are not “sinking” into your bones. Set an alarm on your phone each hour to remind how you are standing, sitting and/or leaning forward. Begin to realign posture by bringing your hands into a palm up position with elbows at your side. This will rotate the shoulder joints and upper spine into a neutral position. When elbows stray away from your side, shoulders will begin to roll forward, the upper spine begins to flex forward and the old noggin begins its forward descent.
Hold your phone at eye level. A pain, you say? Yes, I agree that it is more inconvenient to hold your phone higher, but aren’t your head and neck worth it?
Lean your head against a pillow or against a wall while reading or using your phone.
Use your eyes instead of your head to look down.
Learn how to stand in with the head in a neutral position. Your ears should line up with your shoulders. If the ears are in front of the mid shoulder line, time for a posture tune up! Pull your shoulders back and bring your head out of that anterior position. Retract the head back into a nice neutral position. That is the sweet spot! This is also helpful to remember with all activities, including walking.
Mobile technologies are here to stay so, for our own longevity, we simply need to adapt how we use them. Keep in mind, however, that any activity in a performed in a compromised position for too long will cause bad things to happen. Be your own posture police. Your neck and body will thank you in later years.