Technology is a wonderful thing, allowing us to learn and connect with others whenever we wish. However, with how commonplace technology has become in everyday life, so too have various health problems related to how we look at screens. From tech neck to eye strain to shattered attention spans, there are many reasons to be mindful of how we use our devices. Fortunately, chiropractors can help with tech neck and other issues like poor posture that using technology improperly can cause.
Here’s what you need to know about tech neck, how chiropractors can help treat it, and what you can do to prevent it. Let’s dive into it!
What Is Tech Neck?
Tech neck, also known as text neck, is a forward head posture that can cause all sorts of problems, from neck pain to poor posture to headaches and more. This is because when you bend your neck in order to be able to look down at a phone or tablet or to be better able to see your screens, you’re putting it in an unnatural position. Over time, this can cause muscle strain, tightness, compressed nerves, and more.
Depending on your profession, you may be more prone to developing tech neck than others. For instance, if your job requires you to be in front of a screen for hours on end, this can increase your likelihood of putting your head forward in order to be able to see the screens better. If you’re someone who works bent over tables and desks and on the sofa to read or write or what have you, this can also lead you to put your head forward.
Symptoms Of Tech Neck
As you may imagine, if you have text neck, you likely suffer from pain and stiffness in your neck. This pain can extend down into your back and your shoulders. Depending on the person, the location of your aches and pains and their severity can vary. Some people report feeling a stabbing sort of pain while others feel a pain that is more dull and achy. Some people experience headaches, as well.
Due to the unnatural position your neck is in, over time, you may notice reduced mobility in your neck, shoulders, and back. You may also notice that your posture is getting increasingly worse as your body grows accustomed to hunching over devices. This can lead to issues with your balance, and can cause your spine to go out of alignment. Because of the spinal misalignment, some people even report jaw pain.
How Chiropractors Can Help
Whether you’re trying to prevent yourself from developing tech neck or whether you currently suffer from it, chiropractors can help. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to your spine and your central nervous system. Because this condition is caused by putting your body in an unnatural position that can lead to misalignment, chiropractors can help you work on ways to improve your head positioning to treat the issue.
Fortunately, tech neck is something that’s fairly straightforward to treat, especially if you catch it in the early stages. Chiropractors can help with adjustments and treatments that restore your spine to proper alignment, which can alleviate issues such as pain and headaches. They can guide you through exercises and stretches that strengthen your muscles and improve your range of motion. They can also provide you with advice on how to use your devices in a way that won’t leave you with neck pain.
How To Prevent Tech Neck
This issue may be more and more common as people both want and sometimes need to spend more and more time on technology, as can happen with work and school. However, it isn’t an inevitability. There are ways you can prevent this issue from occurring.
Some of the ways you can prevent text neck include:
- Taking frequent breaks from your devices. This is good for both your neck and your eyes. Getting up and walking around or simply looking away from the screen every half hour or so can help.
- Raise your devices to eye level. This makes it so that you don’t have to hunch over to see what’s on them.
- Mind your posture. Maintaining good posture with your head in its proper position over your shoulders can go a long way to keep you in good health.
- Make your workspace ergonomic. Often, people find themselves needing to hunch and bend over in order to do their work. A chiropractor can help you make any necessary adjustments if you tell them how your space is set up.
- Do some exercises and stretches. These help keep your neck in good alignment.
- See your chiropractor. They’ll be able to help you both avoid and treat all sorts of neck pain, including that which results from using technology.
Chiropractic Care You Can Rely On
Grant Chiropractic provides chiropractic treatment for all sorts of neck pain, from whiplash to herniated discs and more. Contact us today to make an appointment and let us help you restore your body to proper alignment.
