Do you experience pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders, or frequent headaches? These symptoms could be signs of text neck syndrome. Our modern digital age has brought us many conveniences with devices as that of BlackBerry, iPhone, tablets and e-readers. Technology can improve our quality of life, but being huddled over these devices for long period of times can do more harm than good.
Text Neck syndrome is a repetitive stress injury to the neck caused by holding your head in a forward and downward position for extended periods of time. Using certain devices for a long period of time can easily lead to neck strain, chronic headaches, and pain in the shoulders, arms and hands. Anyone who has used a cellphone or tablet for an extensive amount of time has probably experienced the peculiar strain it puts on your upper body.
Here are some simple strategies to reduce symptoms of text neck:
- Take frequent breaks. Taking frequent breaks from your device can provide your neck with some relief from the pressure of looking down.
- Sit up straight while texting. You can maintain good posture and relieve your back and shoulders from the strain of being hunched over.
- Lift your device to eye level. Holding the phone higher helps maintain a healthy posture and puts less strain on the neck.
- Stretch. Be sure to stretch often between long periods of extended use of devices. You can rotate your shoulders with your arms by your sides to relieve tension. You can also tuck your chin down to your neck and then look up – this helps to relieve some of the tension in your neck built from the common forward-down position you adopt when looking at your device.
- Visit your chiropractor and massage therapists. Getting regular treatments help to maintain good posture and relaxes the muscles producing symptoms of text neck syndrome.