When you’re texting, you probably angle your neck down to look at your phone. You might even round your shoulders and hunch over the screen. This bad posture is the main culprit behind the very real epidemic known as “text neck.”

Considering Americans are now spending up to five hours a day looking at their cell phones (and up to seven if you’re a teen…), it’s no surprise that people are experiencing painful text neck on an unprecedented scale.

What is Text Neck?

Text neck is a broad term used to design any type of neck pain caused by improperly looking down at your cell phone or another device too often or for too long. The pain can range in scale — anywhere from a general aching to severe muscle spasms.

Text Next Symptoms and Possible Conditions

Text neck can cause serious pain and do a number on your overall posture. Some possible symptoms or conditions caused by text neck include:

Neck pain and soreness
Tight shoulders
Muscle spasms
Pinched nerves
Neurological symptoms in the arm or hand (from a pinched nerve)
Early onset of arthritis in the neck

Text Neck Prevention Tips

Making some adjustments to the way you look at your phone can significantly reduce your chances of developing text neck.

As much as possible, try to hold your phone at eye level (as well as your laptops and computer screens, when applicable).

Additionally, try and take frequent breaks from your phone and computer screens throughout the day. Position your work screens so that you are looking straight forward while working, with your shoulders positioned straight forward aligned with both the shoulders and the spine.

Chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy can also help reverse the painful damage brought on by text neck. Talk to Dr. Reinhardt about setting up a consultation and adjustment today.

Chiropractic-Approved Poses for Text Neck

Doing a simple 10 minutes of yoga a day can help prevent and relieve neck pain. Try these four poses to help counter pressure you put on your neck from hours of daily phone use.

About Blakely Chiropractic

For over 3 decades, Blakely Chiropractic has been helping patients throughout San Diego with gentle chiropractic treatments to alleviate a variety of pain symptoms including back pain relief, neck pain relief, shoulder pain relief, sciatica, and headaches. Dr. Blakely also works closely with patients for personal injury pain relief and work injuries. We offer a free consultation to get an understanding what pain you are experiencing and will come up with a tailored treatment plan to get you back to full health!

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