No I’m not talking about the times when mobile phone go off in the cinema or library, or when you’re in a ‘mobile free’ carriage and the person opposite you decides to call their entire contact list. A new condition which has been labelled ‘text neck’ is reportedly on the rise.
Caused by flexing the neck for extended periods, ‘text neck’ causes discomfort and muscle pain. Experts, including chiropractors have put the increase in cases down to the rise in the number of hours that we now spend hunched over our mobile phones and tablet computer screens.
One chiropractor reported that her company had already treated thousands of patients for the condition and the number was increasing each month. The symptoms which can also include headaches and shoulder, arm and wrist pain, can be result in permanent arthritic damage if allowed to continue without treatment.
In some very severe cases the muscles have adapted to the flexed position. This has caused sufferers pain when they try to straighten their necks back into what is a normal posture.
The phrase ‘text neck’ was first adopted by a doctor in America. Dr Dean Fishman changed the name and direction of his practice after experiencing a massive influx of young patients visiting his chiropractor clinic with complaints of neck, back, arm and shoulder pain, all which he put down to ‘text neck’. Dr Dean Fishman now runs the Text Neck Institute in Plantation, Florida.
Dr Dean Fishman said “Whenever kids came to the office with pain, I noticed they were always on their phones,” he went on “They would be positioned at ‘forward head posture,’ but that term wasn’t resonating with parents. After I started calling it “text neck”, we got an emotional response and decided to trademark the name to help change the way people hold their mobile devices.”
Statistics show that in the UK we sent 15 times as many texts in 2011 as we did in 2006. Not only are more people communicating with others on mobile devices than ever before, smartphones are giving consumers more access to media content on demand, such as using apps, games and watching films. This is causing more people to be locked in text neck position for longer periods of time, increasing chances of them suffering pain, tendonitis and possibly arthritis.
Fortunately, the pain is treatable. With the right exercises the pain is relieved and by adopting a different stance when using a mobile phone or tablet you can reduce the chances of the problem occurring at all. Apparently, the secret is to keep the phone at eye level.
Easier said than done, but like anything else, if you can force yourself to do it, it will soon become a habit and hopefully you’ll never become a ‘text neck’ victim.
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