Are you looking down at your smartphone? Is your head tilted forward as you read this? Chances are, yes.This forward positioning of your head is bad for your neck and spine. The term is called "Text Neck," and doctors consider it a global epidemic.
Dr. Dean Fishman is a chiropractor in Florida who coined the phrase "Text Neck" to explain the repeated stress injury to the body caused by excessive texting and overuse of all handheld devices. Smartphone users spend countless hours per day in a forward head posture reading emails, sending text messages and checking social media. Are you guilty? Many of us are, but teens may be the worst. Parents need to start showing more guidance.
The human head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds. For every inch your head is tilted forward, the pressure on your spine doubles. If you would tilt your head forward at 15 degrees, the weighted pressure feels like 27 pounds, at 30 degreed it’s 40 pounds, at 45 degrees it’s 49 pounds, and at 60 degrees it’s 60 pounds.
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| (Courtesy of Dr. Ken Hansraj M.D.) |
All the extra pressure puts a strain on your spine and can pull it out of alignment. Dr. Tom DiAngelis, president of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Private Practice Section, compares it to bending your finger back all the way and holding it there for an hour.
Poor posture has been linked to a number of medical problems, including headaches, depression, constipation and heart disease. It also can reduce lung capacity by as much as 30 percent.
Smartphones are a wonderful asset to daily life. Just be mindful and aware of how you use them. Now get up, stretch and go for a walk. When you're done, visit our website at McKoloskyChiropractic.com.
Smartphones are a wonderful asset to daily life. Just be mindful and aware of how you use them. Now get up, stretch and go for a walk. When you're done, visit our website at McKoloskyChiropractic.com.
