Neck Pain in the Modern Age: How to Avoid “Text Next”

We are, as a people, addicted to smartphones. Almost everyone cranes their necks on a regular basis in order to look down at their phones, to scroll through Instagram, or to order some food from Grubhub. As useful and entertaining as our smartphones can be, it’s crucial to practice proper usage in order to avoid any issues relating to neck pain. So many people avoid doing this, in fact, that a new term came into existence in order to accurately and succinctly describe this conundrum. “Smartphone neck” or “text neck” are names given to the constant act of craning one’s neck down to look at a smartphone screen. As you can surmise from its name, smartphone neck is rampant among those of us who use our phones on a daily basis. Perhaps you’ve never experienced extreme pain from simply looking down at your phone, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful! If you’re experiencing pain in your neck, be it due to your smartphone or any other issue, then it’s time to visit Southwest Chiropractors in El Paso. 

Text Neck Can Damage Your Neck, Posture, and More
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It may seem like a small, seemingly insignificant action, but craning your neck to look down at your phone screen can actually lead to serious aches and pains. In fact, doing so regularly can lead to issues such as a damaged posture. When you move your head forward to look at your phone screen, you’re adding 26 pounds of strain on your neck. Usually, our heads weigh around 11 pounds but by moving the head forward slightly, the pressure doubles! The weight actually increases the more your neck cranes. Not only can this lead to neck strains, but it can also cause further issues. Thankfully, it’s possible to build up positive habits in order to retroactively avoid any issues relating to “text neck.”

Tips to Tackle Text Neck

You can avoid neck pain relating to text/smartphone neck by following these three tips. First, check your posture and neck alignment by looking at a reflection of your profile. You can easily accomplish this by using your bathroom mirror. In order to see if you have correct posture, you should try to draw an imaginary line from your ear to your shoulder. If your posture is off-center, then it’ll be necessary to do some adjustments in your life. There are many ways to effectively improve your posture. What’s important is for you to maintain these improvements in order for your back and neck to grow stronger, thus avoiding any instances of neck and back pain in the future. A great way to improve your posture, and in turn avoiding text neck, is by arching your back and doing shoulder extensions. 

One of the best ways to tackle text neck is by making a conscious decision to look forward while using your phone instead of looking down. By raising your phone to eye level, you’ll avoid any muscle strain in your neck. It might be easier to simply look down at your phone whenever you get a text, but that seemingly insignificant action can act as a small snowball at the top of a snowy mountain. Before long, the pain may become unbearable. Instead of ending up with neck pain thanks to your phone, you can make a conscious decision to improve your posture on a daily basis. 

What To Do When You Have Neck Pain

Neck pain is nothing to scoff at. Small actions, such as looking down at your phone or computer screen for long periods of time, day in and day out, can eventually cause neck pain. If the pain doesn’t dissipate in a few days, then it’s in your best interest to seek medical attention from a chiropractor. Southwest Chiropractors, led by Dr. Fred Aguayo, DC, is El Paso’s top line when it comes to chiropractic care and neck pain treatment. When you schedule a meeting with us, you can expect Dr. Aguayo, DC to conduct an exam to uncover the source of your pain. Your doctor may also take x-rays to get a better understanding of the underlying issues. Once Dr. Aguayo has all the information he needs, he’ll be able to create an appropriate treatment plan for your needs. 

Contact Southwest Chiropractors, Today! 

Whether your neck is starting to hurt after long hours at the office, or you’ve been experiencing chronic neck pain for weeks now, it’s time to schedule a consultation at Southwest Chiropractors. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help!