by Jacob Fuhrer |
Maybe you’re rushing to answer an email as you cross the quad. Maybe you're staring down your phone — avoiding eye contact — as you wait for your drink at Starbucks. Or maybe you’re unwinding in bed with your laptop watching Netflix.
Whatever the reason, more and more people are staring at screens, and for some, it’s becoming a big pain in the neck. Literally.
One type of injury in particular, dubbed “text neck,” is a key contributor.
The ailment, which now has its own dedicated website, is pain “resulting from excessive strain on the spine from looking in a forward and downward position at any hand held mobile device.”
The problem is so widespread that the chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine says the ailment has reached epidemic proportions, and it largely affects younger people.
The text neck website suggests excessive phone usage could cause headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, problems breathing and other side effects.
April Farmer, a fitness instructor in the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center, teaches yoga class on Mondays and says students in her class mainly complain of back problems, which she says is a side effect of staring at screens as well as heavy backpacks.
It may seem counterintuitive, but Farmer says even pain in the lower back can be caused by what happens at our neck line.
“It’s the cascade going from your neck and your upper back and it goes all the way down,” Farmer said.
Farmer experiences discomfort from technology firsthand, and says that when she spends too much time on her laptop, the front of her body begins to hunch over.
Farmer recommends yoga classes for everyone, but adds that prevention is the best cure. She says setting aside time in the morning and evening to take stock of your body and any pains you feel is the best way to get started on the path to recovery.
“Take a deep breath and check your posture and adjust,” Farmer said. “Catch yourself in the middle of the day when you're slipping out of where you want to be.”
So next time waiting in line staring at your phone, take a chance and look up. Your body will thank you.
Three ways to fix your tech hunch:
- Stand in the doorway and put your hands on the frame in a v-shape above your shoulders. With your feet pointing forward, put one foot in front of the other. Bend your front knee forward and rest your weight on it, stretching your chest and shoulders. Alternate legs and repeat the stretch.
- Get into pushup position and hold the pose — make sure to keep your back straight, face forward and relax your face. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Lie face down with your arms straight up next to your ears, palms down. Raise your arms, upper chest, and legs off the floor at the same time and hold for a few seconds.
