Tips on How to Prevent Text Neck

Per Dr. Bryan Matthisen, D.C.

With cell phones becoming advanced and popular, symptoms of neck and upper back pain is increasing across our country. This is due to the forward head posture position our body goes into. This position leads to increased weighted load on the front of your neck, which can lead to pain developing in muscles surrounding your neck and upper back and increase your risk of early spinal degeneration in the future.



Tips to help prevent this posture include:

–Limiting time spent on your mobile device:

• This to the first step in prevention. Smartphones track how much time you spend on your phones. Access this information on your phone to track and improve by reducing your minutes on your phone!

-Stretches/exercises for your posterior neck musculature and pectoral muscles:

• Here are a few examples to strengthen and stretch your neck and pectoral musculature are posterior translation exercises (chin tucks) and hallway stretches.

 

-Mobilization/Manipulation of your upper cervical and thoracic spinal segments:

• Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is very helpful in mobilizing the hypomobile segments that result in localized pain that persists in the upper cervical spine and mid-thoracic spine that comes with being in the forward head posture for long periods of time.