Text Neck - Is Working from Home causing you neck pain and headaches?

Written By Rio Summers

Text Neck. What is Text Neck?

“Text Neck” also know as tech neck is a term used to describe neck pain and sometimes the associated headache and upper back pain from looking down at your cell phone, tablet or other wireless devices too frequently and for too long. It is increasingly common and affects all ages including adolescents and children.

What are the symptoms of Text Nexk?

The most common cause is neck pain and soreness. Additionally, looking down at your cell phone or other electronic devices can cause pain including:

  • Cervicogenic headache, headache originating from the muscles, nerves and joints in the neck. Sometimes this is the most painful symptom.

  • Upper back pain or pain between the shoulder blades. The pain can range from chronic naggingly pain to severe muscle spasm and sharp pain.

  • Pinched nerves in the neck or pain radiating from muscles and joints in the neck or upper back can cause pain or tingling into the shoulders or both arms. If patients have wear and tear in the neck called osteoarthritis or have previous injuries like whiplash text neck will likely worsen these conditions.

  • Shoulder pain and tightness may be present in one or both shoulders. The muscles and joints of the neck and shoulders are intimately related. Text neck may trigger pain from an underlying problem in the shoulder like tendinitis, an inflamed shoulder tendon.

How is text neck treated?

Prevention is key.

  • Lift and hold your phone and other electronic devices at eye level as much as possible;

  • Use a stand to watch films and YouTube on your phone. Position the stand so that your neck is straight;

  • Take frequent breaks throughout the day. A timer can be helpful;

  • Be aware of your posture throughout the day and across other activities. Try to prevent long periods when your head is looking down. Reposition the television or computer screen if necessary.

Chiropractic and Physiotherapy will resolve most cases of Text Neck.

We assess all the involved areas and implement a treatment plan using a synergistic mix of manipulation techniques for the joints and nerves and advanced physiotherapy modalities for involved soft tissues like muscles and tendons. Best results are achieved by tailoring treatment to each patient’s condition. Rehabilitative exercises are taught and practiced to further aid recovery and prevention.

If you think you might have text neck don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss if our services might be right for you.

Rio Summers