Text Neck, it’s the latest craze among our youth. It’s a lot like eating Tide Pods, but like Tide Pods, it is not good for our overall health. It won’t send you to the ER, but it does have lasting effects on the body if not corrected and treated.

Text Neck is a term that has been created to label what happens when we spend too much time bending down and looking at our phones, it’s something we are all guilty of, myself included. It’s the slouched over, staring down at your lap for hours on end. Over time, this will reduce the natural curve in our necks and transition our head in the forward position. When viewing somebody from their side, the ears/point of the shoulder/ and top of the hip bone should all be stacked on top of each other. With Text Neck, the head transitions forward past the shoulder. For every one inch the head is forward, it adds ten pounds of stress to the neck. Our average head weights 10-12 pounds. I have seen patients walk through my door with their head as much as four inches past their midline, that’s over 50 pounds of stress! This stress can cause pain in the neck, back, and shoulder regions.

Are you wondering how this can be corrected? If you or someone you know, spends a lot of time on their phone or tablet, odds are they have Text Neck. Sit in good posture, no slouching. Head up, back straight, with a long neck. If looking down at your phone, tilt your head down to view their phone, not bend at the base of the neck. You can also bring the phone up to eye level if it is comfortable to you, it will make a huge difference.

Someone with Text Neck can also lay with a rolled-up towel under their neck for 20 minutes every day to help re-gain comfort in the neck. I also recommend neck retraction exercises, where you tuck your chin back and hold for 5-10 seconds. Do 10 reps for 3 sets per day. Other exercises I recommend are rowing exercises with resistance bands and Brugger’s exercise. Brugger’s helps stretch your chest and strengthen your scapular region. See Video.