Text Neck Syndrome: What is it?

Text neck syndrome is not an official medical diagnosis. However, it is a common term that describes a repetitive stress injury primarily caused by excessive mobile device use or texting.

Photo credit: By timonina

Text neck pain is usually identified after a physical examination, taking of patient history, and reviewing some symptoms.

You see, studies have shown that humans spend approximately 5 hours daily staring at their phones — and this may result in severe text-neck pains and aches. Harvard Medical Health research suggests that 7 out of 10 people will experience aches in the neck at some point in their lives.

What does Text Neck do to the body?

Text neck causes compression and tightening of the tendon, muscle, and ligament structures in front of your neck. On the other hand, it lengthens the tendon, muscle, and ligament structures behind your neck. You see, the human head weighs approximately 10 pounds. So for every inch, your head tilts forward, your neck is saddled with the job of carrying double weight. That extra strain adds up over time.

However, ditching our gadgets isn’t an option, per se. The best we can do is engage in the right exercises and practice good habits to prevent the pains and aches associated with this condition.