TECK NECK

Are you suffering from Tech Neck?

If you own a cellphone, chances are you’ve experienced “tech neck” in one way or another. These days, most people spend hours hunched over their screens, causing stiffness and pain in the neck and down the back.

According to Deloitte's 2018 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, people look at their phones an average of 52 times a day. Most of us don’t realize how often we’re checking our phones, handheld device, or laptop until this sort of pain arises. But surely our necks should be strong enough to handle the repetitive movements?

Well, in short they’re not.

The cervical spine, is a very delicate part of the vertebral column which makes up the higher region of the spine that holds the head upwards. While the neck is designed to support the average 4-5kg head, this weight and force on the neck is magnified when tilted forward. In fact, the amount of force exerted on the neck as a result of this tilt can reach up to 27kgs of downward force (5 times the normal weight).

This repetitive and prolonged force on the neck causes tension in the musculature which results in pain and stiffness. This pain will travel to other areas of the back as well as result in frequent headaches. You may also feel a reduction in the mobility of the neck and shoulders.

Chiropractic care focuses on the neuromusculoskeletal system, more specifically, spinal alignment. Now as we know, tech neck stems from poor posture and bad ergonomics. Chiropractic care is a great option to alleviate the painful and unbearable symptoms that may occur. Your Chiropractor will perform an assessment to locate the areas of spinal misalignments and perform gentle and accurate adjustments to correct posture and ease tension, ensuring proper alignment and strength in the head, neck, and spine. Regular chiropractic care will not only decrease pain and discomfort, but will also increase range of motion and help strengthen your neck to handle the day to day activities your life at work and at home may demand.

Technology is part of daily life. We use it for everything from communicating with friends and family to watching our favourite cat videos. These days, you can’t avoid it, however, there are things we can do to limit the tremendous physical toll technology takes on our bodies. Here are a few examples of what you can do to prevent tech neck:

• Stretch- Stretching will help relieve tension in the muscles as well as increase the blood flow to the neck. (Stretching should never be painful, pain is the bodies way of telling you something is wrong).

• Ergonomics- Try and keep all screens at eye level, keeping the neck in neutral to decrease the force applied to it when looking down.

• Limit contact time- Try and limit the amount of time spent on your cellphone. Crazy I know, but this will also give your neck a break. Try only using it for contacting people.

• Correct Chairs- Chairs with headrests provide more support to your cervical spine and take a lot of the weight off of your neck. They also promote better and a more upright posture. The can act as a reminder to pull you head back taking pressure off of your neck.

• Massage- Come on, who doesn’t like a massage? This will help relieve tension and stress in your neck as well as your life.

Finally, being more aware of how much time you spend looking down can be the first step to managing the condition. Try look up once in a while, you might like the view better.

Cheers,

Team Hughes Chiropractic

(Blog post is written from a combination of my experiences and the various research I have read over time, hence collective knowledge with no specific reference to particular articles).