Text Neck Treatment in Cobourg

woman holding phone with neck pain Do you spend a lot of time gazing down at your digital devices? If yes, you’re not alone. Most people spend about 2-4 hours on their mobile devices daily, and many work on computers throughout the day. “Text neck” can often develop as a result of digital device use. The position of text neck has our head forward, upper back hunched, and shoulders rolled forward. Since this posture has become so prevalent, it was coined “text neck syndrome” by a chiropractor in the U.S.

What Is It?

This modern-day malady is an overuse syndrome in which there is excessive strain on the neck from looking down at any handheld mobile device. This can lead to the following:

Headaches
Neck pain
Shoulder and arm pain
Nerve pain with tingling and numbness
Stiffness and decreased range of motion
Jaw pain
Eye pain
Restricted breathing

How Does It Affect Your Spine?

Text neck is a repetitive stress injury that affects the curvature of the cervical spine and the surrounding musculature and ligaments. The problem with this condition is that the pain and dysfunction are often not noticed while we work on our mobile devices, but after we finish using them, we notice the issues.

As the head is further flexed forward, this places increased force through the neck, resulting in the head feeling heavier and heavier. Our neck muscles are designed to hold the weight of our head (approximately 10-12 lbs), but for every 15 degrees your head is flexed forward from neutral, the load on your neck muscles comes close to doubling in weight!

What to Expect

During the intake process, we take a thorough history, discussing how you feel and whether you have any limitations, how much time you spend on mobile devices, and your lifestyle. After we gather all of this information, the chiropractor will perform a physical exam. We assess the spine’s posture and range of motion, specifically focusing on the neck but checking the entire spine.

We would also evaluate the joints, muscles, and ligaments of the spine and check nerve function. An important component of this physical exam is to assess for loss of cervical curve resulting from text neck to see how we can restore proper posture and improve function.

After the physical exam, if necessary, we may order X-rays to further specify the loss of curvature and where changes need to be made.

How Chiropractic Can Help

Dr. Peter and Dr. Amy at Herron Family Chiropractic provide effective chiropractic care that can help with this condition. Once we know where the issues are coming from, we can begin to target adjustments, exercises, stretches, and ergonomics to bring the head and neck back to a proper position.

When this happens, the joints are not aggravated, and the muscles and nerves are no longer strained. When proper posture is restored, we will work with patients to help prevent text neck issues in the future with stretches, exercises, and ergonomic recommendations.

Take the First Step to Relief

Ready to say goodbye to your neck pain? Contact Herron Family Chiropractic to book an appointment with one of our chiropractors.
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