Combat Neck Text
Text neck is a modern age term coined by US chiropractor Dr. DL Fishman to describe repeated stress injury and pain in the neck resulting from excessive watching or texting on handheld devices over a sustained period of time. It is also known as Turtle Neck posture or anterior head syndrome. This condition is a growing lifestyle and health condition with the constant growth in the mobile user population all over the world.
It is a cause for increasing concern especially with children given their greater propensity to mobile phone usage. Recent figures have shown that around 87% of teenagers (14-18 years) in the USA and 79% of teenagers (12-15 years) in the UK own and use smartphones. Among adults aged 18-34 years, 92% and 95% reported owning a smartphone in the USA and Australia, respectively.
Apart from neck pain, it can also cause shoulder pain, upper back pain, and headaches.
How to maintain a good posture?
→ When walking, be careful with your posture. To adopt a correct posture, throw your shoulder back and contract your belly;
→ Avoid sleeping on your stomach and, whenever possible, choose to lie on your side with your legs slightly bent. This last position allows a better alignment of the column;
→ When standing up, also pay attention to your posture. The correct thing is to stand on your side, put your legs out of bed and sit down;
→ Buy a comfortable mattress that is ideal for your weight. Special care must also be given to the pillow, which should allow the spine to be aligned. The ideal pillow is one that fills the gap left between the head and the shoulder;
→ When sitting in a chair, be sure to put your feet on the floor and lean on the back;
→ When cleaning the house, remember to keep your spine upright;
→ To pick up an object on the floor, go down to the object by bending your knees;
→ Whenever you lift weight, remember to keep your back straight;
→ When carrying backpacks, place a strap on each shoulder.
→ Avoid very high heels;
→ Perform stretches to relieve the muscles whenever you stay in the same position for a long time and before and after exercising.