Text Neck refers to pain caused by texting that starts in the neck and upper back. Most people are looking down at their phone when they are text messaging.
It is estimated that most people spend 2-4 hours everyday looking down at their phone while texting, emailing, using apps, or on social media. This adds up to between 700-1400 hours a year and for most teenagers it can be more than 5000 hours – with the head in a down and forward position that will pull on the neck and the supporting muscles and ligaments.
Text Neck is not officially used as a diagnosis for health problems. However, an increase in the kinds of issues it can create has been observed. Continuously looking down at a portable device can change the way that the spine is designed. It specifically affects the natural curvature of the neck. Repeatedly looking down causes the curve of the neck to reverse, leading to deformity of the ligaments and the muscles that hold the head up. Nerves in this area are abundant, and they can become stressed. This is called occipital neuralgia and results in such things as headaches and migraines.
The number one cause of Text Neck is bad posture. When we text or play video games with our heads bent forward and down, we increase the stress on our neck and upper spine. The average human head weighs between 10-12 pounds, but texting with our head bent at a 60º angle increases it to the equivalent of 60 pounds. Even just a 30º downward angle puts 40 pounds of pressure on the neck four times the pressure our necks are used to dealing with.
It allows you to turn your head from side-to-side and up and down, act as a shock absorber shielding the brain from jolts and jarring knocks, and protect the nerves that run inside the spine, down from the brain and then branch out throughout the body.
Texting or spending time on social media with our heads bent down and forward is an unnatural position for the neck, pulling the curvature of the spine in the opposite direction it is supposed to go. This is unhealthy for the neck and upper spine.
Text Neck can be causing damage before most people are aware there is a problem. Usually, most people become aware that something is wrong when they start experiencing headaches and neck pain. As Text Neck pulls the cervical spine and upper back forward, the nerves it protects can become pinched, experience pressure, or even become herniated discs. Text Neck causes subluxations (misalignments) in the spine.
When all six pieces fit together, your body is free to function, adapt, and thrive the way it was designed to.
