It seems like almost everyone has a cell phone these days, and while they can solve a lot of problems and keep us connected with one another, overreliance on technology has been leading to an uptick in a condition known as “Tech Neck” or “Text Neck.” The condition involves pain and other issues in the cervical region of your spine, and symptoms are often caused by an extended period of poor posture, like when a person may be leaning their head forward and down to look at a phone, tablet or laptop. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at five symptoms associated with tech neck, and we share some ways to prevent and treat the condition.
5 Signs Of Text Neck
If you or your teen is dealing with one or more of these symptoms, you may want to adjust your technology habits or talk to a neck and spine specialist like Dr. Sinicropi.
- Pain In The Neck Or Shoulders – Pain or discomfort is both the most common and most obvious sign that a person could be affected by tech neck. If you’re finding that your neck is painful or sore when you lean it forward or look down at your phone, you could be dealing with cervical spinal degeneration. Left untreated, and this pain can become more severe or have a quicker onset.
- Limited Mobility – You may also notice that you can’t comfortably move your head forward, backwards or turn it side to side as easily if you are dealing with tech neck. Physical therapy and stretching exercises are great ways to safely expand this range of motion.
- Headaches – If your head is constantly hunched forward or looking down, your neck muscles are going to have to work harder to provide support. This prolonged stress can lead to muscle soreness, muscle tension and the onset of tension headaches. Give your neck muscles some rest and relaxation by having ideal posture with your head directly above your shoulders.
- Forward Head Posture/Hunched Shoulders – Over time, our neck and upper back muscles can become deconditioned or imbalanced if you have chronic forward head posture. This can make it harder for your body to have ideal posture when you’re not staring at a screen, giving you the appearance of hunched, rounded shoulders or a head that’s tilted or shifted forward.
- Pain When Flexed – Finally, as we alluded to in the first point, prolonged poor posture will mean that you’ll start to feel symptoms sooner or shortly after you’ve shifted your head forward or started looking down at your phone. What you once took for granted can now cause pain in only a matter of minutes or seconds.
Tech Neck Treatment Options
If you’re dealing with any of these conditions, know that problems will only get worse unless you take action. The good news is that caught early enough, problems with tech neck will typically resolve on their own if you strive to have good posture throughout the day and really limit the amount of time you spend craning forward to look at a computer at work or looking down at your smartphone.
For more moderate or severe conditions where the neck muscles have been injured or deconditioned, or the cervical spine has suffered some degeneration, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi. He can provide an assessment and set you up with some physical therapy and stretching exercises to help strengthen the area. He can also talk to you about anti-inflammatory medications, finding relief with hot/cold packs, and how to perform self-checks and corrections throughout the day, as it’s easy to not even notice that your head is in an unhealthy position relative to your spine.
Technology can be wonderful, but it’s also leading to more instances of neck pain. Be smart about your phone use, and talk to a doctor if you or your teen are dealing with neck soreness or pain. For more information, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today at (651) 430-3800.
