Tech Neck and Chiropractic Care
Nowadays, most of us spend a significant amount of time staring at screens. Whether for work, leisure, or communication, more often than not our heads are buried in our electronics. With all the extra screen time, a more sedentary lifestyle and poor posture have become commonplace. This has led to unprecedented health issues such as obesity, pain, and chronic illnesses (such as diabetes and heart disease).
How often do you find yourself with your upper back slouched and shoulders and head slumped forward as you get absorbed in a task on your phone or computer? By the time you realize what’s happened, you feel stiff, sore, and probably a little irritated. Does this happen way more frequently than you would like to admit? If so, you’re definitely not alone.
Today’s lifestyle has led to an epidemic of tech or text neck that comes with serious side effects that affects quality of life. Luckily, there are great ways to prevent the pain, frustration, and possible degeneration that come with poor posture. One of the top options is chiropractic care.
Spine Degeneration and Tech Neck
In the medical world, tech or text neck is identified as a “forward head posture.” This posture is characterized as a forward head, rounded shoulders, and slumped upper back. The entire spine changes from a natural “S” curve to a very unnatural looking “C” curve. This type of posture used to be reserved more for teenagers and elderly folks. Not anymore! Just look around and you will probably see a large majority of people slumped over their phones.
Did you know that for every extra degree that your head is forward, your neck has to sustain a significant increase in tension? This means that an average 8 pound head can suddenly feel like a 40 pound bowling ball, thanks to gravity and mechanics (ouch!). No wonder a slumped forward head posture can lead to a lot of hurt and dysfunction.
The spine functions best when it sustains its normal “S” curve. This optimizes body biomechanics and nerve function with daily activities. When the head and shoulders are chronically forward, this puts a significant amount of unnecessary strain on the connective tissues and joints in the spine. Additionally, the literal changes in the shape of the spinal cord and branching nerves with slouching can have some serious repercussions.
Poor posture is correlated to spine degeneration in populations that shouldn’t be experiencing these issues. Evidence of disc herniation, nerve damage, facet joint irritation, bone spurs, muscle strain, and other degenerative structural changes are occurring more often in younger populations because of tech and text neck.
Symptoms of tech or text neck may include the following:
- Neck pain or upper back pain
- Nerve damage causing tingling, numbness, or weakness in the upper extremities
- Chronic tension headaches (radiating from the base of the skull)
- Stiff shoulders, neck, and upper back limiting mobility with daily activities
- Low energy and fatigue due to poor biomechanics of the entire body
- Decreased quality of life
How Chiropractic Care may Help Tech Neck
With all the issues surrounding tech neck and poor posture, the root cause of the problem needs to be addressed. From there, progress can then be made to promote healing and decrease symptoms. You may know that slumping over your phone was the initial cause of your symptoms, but now you are probably feeling stuck in a cascade of pain and poor function.
What is the root cause of all these problems? Spinal misalignment.
Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is the leading, research based, results-oriented approach for addressing spinal misalignment. When the spine is not in alignment, nerve flow is impaired and causes the entire array of problems mentioned above. At Minneapolis Chiropractic Center, Dr. Rob Privratsky is one of a very small group of chiropractors in the nation specialized in this elite technique.
CBP is a gentle, safe, non-invasive technique that addresses the root cause of tech neck. This is done with treatment options like manipulation, corrective exercise, posture training, soft tissue therapy, education, modalities for pain relief and more. Talk to Dr. Privratsky about what options are best for you today.
Feeling Your Best in Spite of Technology
Once you are aware of your posture and spinal alignment is restored, you can finally start healing and managing your symptoms properly. Since technology is not a commodity that is going away, CBP care will be crucial in keeping your spine healthy and your awareness of your posture as best as it can possibly be.
Don’t let tech or text neck make you feel resentful of your electronics. We live in an amazing world full of possibility thanks to our access to technology. You just simply need the right awareness and tools in your “health tool box” to maximize good posture and minimize future spine and health problems.
Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.