Perhaps you’ve heard of the new trendy diagnosis; text neck. In this age of electronic devices, your smart phone may indeed be the cause of your pain in the neck. Smart phones are trending to take over the cell phone market: 58% of American adults have smart phones and their usage has almost doubled since 2011. So how can something which weighs no more than 4 or 5 ounces cause so much strain on your neck?
Are you looking for a text neck cure?
Interested in relief? Our chiropractor in Greenville, SC can help. Call Eastside Chiropractic, PA: 864-292-6777.
The answer is simply; change your posture. Look around you at family members, co-workers, or classmates. You will see them peering DOWN at their device. The common posture of those who use their smart devices or laptop computers is with their head dropped down towards the device. The average adult head weighs 12 pounds. Consider what this means. If you’ve ever been bowling, the average bowling ball also weighs, you guessed it, 12 pounds! Try holding a bowling ball in your cupped hand next to your head. It doesn’t seem too difficult to do. Now, imagine putting your fingers in the holes and holding the bowling ball at a slight angle in front of your shoulder. Suddenly this same 12 pounds just got much heavier.
A new study by New York spine surgeon Kenneth Hansraj has concluded that the stress of forward head posture increases the perceived load of the head by a factor of 5. Holding your head down while looking at your device on your lap makes the load on the neck max out to 60 pounds! Since poor posture doesn’t cause pain immediately, it doesn’t come to mind as a text neck cure. The text neck cure is available to everyone, right now! The illustration below from Dr. Hansraj’s study makes it clear why posture matters so much.
So, the next time you pick up your smart phone to return a text, check your facebook, or play Candy Crush, think twice about how you hold your device. The smart thing to do is simple; hold your hands and device up, rather than dropping your head down. Your spine will thank you for it, and you may very well prevent a visit to the chiropractor or spine surgeon.
Chiropractor on Fox and Friends? It happened this past week…
Watching a Chiropractor on Fox and Friends is a rare treat. Earlier this week, Dr Seth Pearl appeared on Fox and Friends discussing “text neck” and its impact upon kids and adults. Dr. Pearl demonstrated an evaluation on host Brian Kilmeade’s posture while texting. The exciting part of this demonstration was Dr Pearl’s use of Sigma Instrument technology for evaluation and treatment. As a Greenville chiropractor, I’ve been an advocate of instrument adjusting for over 15 years, and have been a Sigma Instrument provider like Dr. Pearl for all of those years. Sigma Instruments devices allow us to measure the joint fixation level of the neck and all other regions of the spine. This advanced technology allows doctors to actually see how fixated or “stuck” a neck is, as well as visualize spinal joints which may be unstable or damaged. What wasn’t demonstrated in the initial segment was how quick and comfortable the Sigma Instruments treatment can be. A chiropractor can measure posture and range of motion improvements within the very first visit. “Text neck” and poor posture challenges like rounded shoulders and forward head position aren’t just a problem of aesthetics. Long term poor posture creates muscle tightness, tension headaches, and ultimately degenerative disc disease and spinal degeneration. Much like tooth decay, spine decay isn’t painful in it’s early stages. Dental check ups are a way of life for most of us to prevent the ravages of tooth decay, but unlike our teeth, our spine cannot be replaced. Chiropractic check ups in the era of texting should be a part of every Greenville teenager’s pre-school evaluation.
The benefit of a chiropractor on Fox and Friends was national exposure to both chiropractic and Sigma Instrument technology. Dr Pearl was able to illustrate just how fast, precise and comfortable instrument care is. For Greenville natives who has been apprehensive about chiropractic care and have a fear of what to expect, Dr. Pearl summed it up best when he said “This is 21st century chiropractic, we don’t rack and crack; we don’t guess, we test.” If you are a Greenville resident, and have always wondered what to expect in a modern chiropractic setting then watching a chiropractor on Fox and Friends was helpful. If you didn’t see the segment in real time, take a moment and watch it below. If you would like to learn more, contact our office at 864-292-6777 to schedule. Be sure to mention “Chiropractor on Fox and Friends” for a complimentary tour visit, posture evaluation and spinal instrument check up.
Learn more about Eastside Chiropractic, PA!
See what some of our Greenville chiropractic care patients have to say about our chiropractic services, or click here to read more of our chiropractor Greenville SC reviews from Google, Yelp and Facebook.
Copyright: georgerudy / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: creatista / 123RF Stock Photo
