The term text neck was introduced by a chiropractor a few years ago & it’s caught on like wildfire, being labeled by some as a “global epidemic.”
There is this thought out there that neck pain is related to abnormal spine curvature and/or poor posture. Yet research has proved that abnormal curvature of the cervical spine is not associated with neck pain. An interesting study recently showed that women who sat slumped rather than upright had a lower risk of persistent neck pain.
We know that “text neck” is not actually a thing. Text neck is really just being in a static position for hours upon hours day after day. Many of us who work from home on our computer and or phone find ourselves hunched over more than we would like. If you remember from the posture article, holding these types of positions for long periods of time can cause postural stress & potentially some pain or even injury.
The confusing part is that for every study that shows text neck is an epidemic, there is another saying there is no link between “text neck” posture and neck pain
The main treatment being pushed is focusing on correcting your posture. Remember, the problem isn’t the position itself, it’s the time spent in the same position & the lack of daily movement of the neck itself that can potentially create issues.
Should you worry about text neck?
Probably not.
Just make you’re moving that neck, to protect that neck.
10-15 reps of these movements should do the trick:
Neck flexion & extension
Neck lateral flexion
Neck rotation
