Looking down at your computers and phones for too many hours is resulting in lots of pain.

The term “text neck” was coined by a chiropractor and refers to the adverse effects of excessively looking down on a regular basis.

Not only is it causing bad posture, it’s causing a whole slew of other problems too.

Think about this.

The human head weighs about 11 lbs.  That’s not stressful on your spine.

But as soon as you bend your neck forward, the weight on your cervical spine begins to increase.  Lean your head forward 1 inch, and now your spine is supporting about 27 lbs.

Lean your head forward 2 inches, and now your spine is supporting about 40 lbs!

And if you lean your head forward 3 inches or 60 degress, your spine will have to support about 60 lbs!

Just so you can grasp what supporting 60 lbs feels like, imagine carrying an 8-year old around your neck for several hours a day.

Here’s an image to show the different degrees of the head as it looks down:

This is a real danger if you are looking down at a laptop, or phone for several hours a day.

Researchers say, the poor posture of text neck can lead to spinal issues, degeneration, and potentially surgery.

And if you spend several hours a day working on a computer, you may unconsciously find yourself adopting poor postural habits, such as hunching over your keyboard.  This position can lead to a tight chest and a weak upper back. 

Repeated stress on your spine and vertebrae can also lead to herniated discs, pinched nerves, arthritis, and eventually improper curvature of the spine.

Text neck has also been linked to headaches, neurological issues, depression, and heart disease.  The symptoms can take a while to become noticeable, but the more you hunch over, the greater the chance.

As you can see, there’s many real dangers with text neck, and all of them can prevent you from living a healthy, pain-free lifestyle.

It’s better to find out early on what you can do to minimize the risks and treat any issues.

If you look down at a computer or phone for hours of the day, and you’re experiencing shoulder or neck pain, then please call or contact us to have a free consultation.