Is modern life a pain in the neck? Are you like the millions of people who spend hours each day on a smartphone or other mobile device? If that's the case, it could come to a "Texthals", an epidemic of a new era that could cause permanent damage.
You probably do not think so much about the hundreds of messages you send each week on your smartphone, but sending text messages is a dangerous habit. The posture we take when looking at our phones significantly increases the strain on the neck and can lead to excessive wear. So bad can it be: our heads weigh between 10 and 12 pounds, but if we tilt our heads down to use our phones, the effective weight on our necks will increase a lot! At an angle of 15 degrees the head weighs about 27 pounds and rises to 60 pounds at 60 degrees!
Because most of us spend up to two to four hours a day head-down, there are between 700 and 1,400 hours of cervical spine overload every year! This can cause headaches, neck pain, arm pain and even deafness.
After all, the "text collar", along with a sedentary lifestyle, could have serious consequences. As "Texthals" is on the rise as more and more people live their lives on a mobile phone, it is important that we all know how to reduce the risk of developing this modern condition.
The best way to reduce the risk of "textual throat" is to use voice recognition and phone calls instead of text messaging. It is also important to take regular breaks and change your text message positions to avoid problems. Visit the NHS website for a list of useful exercises.
Modern technology moves faster than the human body can adapt, and this is not the first time that we have been warned about the dangers of sending text messages. In 2011, mobile phones were accused of increasing the number of fatalities in the United States. UU., And some cities even considered imposing fines for people sending text messages while walking. Then of course there was "Blackberry thumb" (Repetitive Strain Injury through text messaging) and "iPad hand" (pain and discomfort caused by swiping and typing on a tablet).
The list of complaints grows with each new technology, and while we can not expect anyone to leave their devices, we can take all measures to keep us healthy as we progress in time.
Dr. Robert Finn D.C. He graduated as a chiropractor more than 25 years ago at the Anglo European College of Chiropractors (the oldest and largest chiropractic institution in Europe). He is a passionate chiropractor and helps his patients achieve their health goals. It has clinics in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent