As Denver Neck pain specialists we have noticed that there is a much higher incidents of people coming in with neck and shoulder pain and started wondering if the cause might be increased cell phone usage. If you do have this kind of pain, you will want to learn more.
Are you a heavy texter? Many people spend hours a day engrossed in their phones and placing their body in unnatural positions that do in fact hurt their spines.
The culprit is your head and the weight of it that forces your spine to stretch in a downward fashion against the recognized manner of good posture. The optimal human posture is to stand erect with shoulders back and the head aligned straight over the spine. Many texters stand with thier head down at an unusual angle to the spine for extended periods of time during the day.
According to a study done by Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, bending over to text or read emails can put as much as 60 pounds of pressure on your spine due to the weight of your head.
Hansraj states that, “loss of the natural curve of the cervical spine leads to incrementally increased stresses about the cervical spine. These stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries.”1
Tips For Avoiding The Strain
As we see more and more people using their cell phones constantly, it is impossible not to notice that they are contorting themselves into a unnatural positions. This hours-a-day stress on the spine causes increased problems for heavy users and should be avoided when possible.
Here are some tips to help you keep your head and spine in the correct position to avoid neck pain while texting:
- Don’t lean over if you just need to take a quick peek at your phone. Lift your arm up so that you move your phone up to eye level instead of dropping your head down to look.
- If you are going to be doing an extended task like sending a message, sit down where you have more of ability to control the angle of your head.
- Use a texting program on your computer to answer messages instead of trying to type out long messages on your phone.
- Use the talk-to-type feature available on most phones today.
- Instead of always using your phone, get a wireless headset so you can stand upright while talking or texting.
Much of the problem can be eliminated simply by being aware of what you are doing and making a conscious decision to maintain good posture while texting.
If you have noticed that you are experiencing neck and shoulder pain and would like to find out more, please come visit us for a free pain evaluation today! Call 720-493-1181
