Is the Smart Phone causing your Kids Neck Pain?

The number of children with back and neck pain is on the rise. In my practice the statistics are alarming.

We all enjoy the convenience of the digital world we live in. With information at our fingertips, a loved one is just a wassap away and getting engaged isn't real unless we upload a post on Facebook.

Kindles, ipads, iphones,... How did we ever live without it. Ever heard "too much of a good thing..." Well these mobile devices have their advantages BUT are the reason for the escalating statistics of back and neck pain.

Carpal Tunnel is so 1990, the new techno induced injury is Text Neck. Dr. Dean Fishman (a Chiropractor in Florida, has coined the phrase text neck for technology induced injuries.

WHAT IS TEXT NECK
Text Neck is a term used to explain the repetitive strain injury caused by excessive texting and overuse of all of our other favourite handheld electronic devices.

A load of hurt

How does a smartphone or other mobile device cause so much hurt? It’s all in how you look at it. Literally. Looking down, dropping your head forward, changes the curvature of your neck. Over time, that malalignment can strain muscles and cause wear and tear on the structures of the neck.

Basically 3 things happen…

Your neck moves too far forward.

Your shoulders round forward or lift up toward your ears.

Your neck and shoulder muscles spasm causing pain

HOW TO PREVENT IT?
Our bodies were designed to jump, to cimb, to move freely, so get our kids moving again.

Take regular breaks
Call instead of texting
Hold the Device up infront of you so your head picks up and not hunched over when using the device.
Stretch the muscles in front of the chest and strengthen the muscles at the back like squeezing your shoulder blades together.

See a Physiotherapist