How Smartphones Are Contributing to the Rise in Posture Problems

Smartphones are in everyone’s hands these days. Your phone connects you to work, friends, family, fun, and also helps keep you up to date with the latest news and events. In fact, you may be using your smartphone to read this article. However, it’s easy to lose track of time and spend way too much time looking at that tiny screen. In fact, the International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health conducted a study that found that the average smartphone usage time is around 4 hours daily.

Prolonged smartphone usage gives rise to a new term

As a result of too much screen time, many people are experiencing problems with back, neck, and shoulder pain. A study reported by the NIH found that “Prolonged smartphone usage causes faulty posture such as forward neck posture, slouched posture, or rounded shoulders. Sustained forward neck posture can cause injury to the structure of the cervical and lumbar spine, as well as ligaments.”

Musculoskeletal problems associated with the prolonged use of smartphones have now become so widespread that it has been dubbed “text neck”. Our heads weigh between 10lb and 12lb, as we angle them down to look at our phones, the effective weight on our necks increases — at a 15-degree angle it is about 27 pounds, rising to 60 pounds at a 60-degree angle. The larger the angle, the more pressure that is exerted on the spine.

What are the long-term effects of text neck?

Long-term effects, similar to whiplash, may include tension headaches, ruptured cervical discs, and neck sprains. Your muscles will have to work hard at first to hold your head up. When you tighten your muscles, you put more pressure on your discs, causing them to wear down quicker. As a result, weaker discs may expand or even explode. If a ruptured disc compresses a nerve, you may have weakness, pain, or numbness, requiring surgical intervention.

How to correct the harmful effects of smartphone usage

One of the best ways to correct text neck is less screen time. Aside from that, there are also exercises you can do to help alleviate symptoms. According to Kessler Rehabilitation Center, there are five exercises you can do to help reverse the effects of text neck.

Chin retraction — When you find yourself hunched over looking at your phone, pull your chin backward while looking directly forward. You will experience a “double-chin” forming under your jaw. Do this ten times once every hour or two.

Trap stretch — Place your right hand on your waist or lower back to extend the right side, then tilt your head to the left while gazing back to the right. Put your left hand on top of your head and pull slowly to the left until you feel a comfortable stretch. Don’t stretch too much. Hold this for 20 seconds on each side.

Thoracic extension — Lean forward in your chair. Pretend you’re smashing a pillow between your belly and thighs. Place your hands with fingers crossed behind your head.

Prone retraction — Lie face down on the floor with your arms at your side, hands near the hips. Keep your neck straight (do not look upward). Lift your chin, arms and knees slightly off the floor. Hold the position for 2–3 seconds and release to the floor. Repeat 10 times for three sets.

Prone scaption — Lie face down on the floor with your arms reaching upward and slightly outward from your head. Keep your neck straight and lift your chin, arms and knees off the ground. Hold the position for 2–3 seconds and release to the floor. Repeat 10 times for three sets. This exercise can be down 2–3 days weekly to help strenthen the muscles across the back of your neck, shoulders, and torso.

As always, check with your doctor to make sure these exercise are appropriate for you. If pain persists, it could be an indication that more serious issues need to be addressed. At the end of the day, limiting screen time has even more benefits than reducing back pain. For example, avoiding screen time close to bedtime will help you get a better night’s sleep. Too much screen time can also cause eye and wrist strain.

So put your phone down, take a deep breath, and get outside for a walk, your body will thank you for it.