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Looking Down At Your Phone All The Time El Paso, Texas


Weighing an average of ten pounds, the head can put a great deal of pressure on the neck in certain positions – especially looking down at your phone all the time.

The human head is heavier than most people realize. Because of this, the damage caused to the neck from time spent staring at mobile screens has been given the name “Text Neck”, and it is a growing problem among not only teens but for everyone.

Looking Down at Your Phone All The Time Can Cause Neck Injury

Your body is well-designed to bear the weight of your head when you maintain good posture – but tilting your head down to look at your phone is not good posture. In fact, for every inch you move angle your head downward, you double the pressure on your spine.

Looking at your phone can put an extra ten or twenty pounds of pressure on your neck. That would be worth noting even if you only did it occasionally, but most people spend hours looking at their phones throughout the day. That amounts to hours of excessive pressure on the soft tissues that make up your neck – pressure that will inevitably lead to inflammation and discomfort if left unchecked.

According to this article featured in the Washington Post, the pressure you put on your neck by bending and staring at your phone is much like bending your finger back as far as it will go, and then keeping it in that position for approximately an hour. Day after day, such stress is bound to lead to complications.

constantly looking down at your phone el paso, tx.

Injuries from Text Neck

The strain put on the neck by text neck is enough to cause mild to severe injuries, including:
  • Sore muscles
  • Inflamed Tissues
  • Pinched nerves
  • Herniated discs
  • Elimination of the natural curve of the neck
These injuries can cause considerable pain and discomfort and may lead to further health complications. They can lead to neck and back pain that can last for years.

How to Avoid Text Neck

Smartphones offer numerous benefits and opportunities for enjoyment, so it is unlikely that most people will stop using them. Luckily, there are things you can do to protect yourself, including:

Look With Your Eyes, Not Your Neck

One of the simplest ways to avoid text neck is to look down with your eyes instead of tilting your head down. While it may not be practical to always use this technique, it is certainly useful in many circumstances. Your eyes can tilt down with little effort and can allow you to lessen the tilt of your neck as you use your phone.

Neck & Shoulder Strength

You will inevitably do some head tilting as you use your phone throughout the day. Strengthening the muscles that support your head is one way to protect your delicate neck tissues and maintain mobility. Simple exercises like turning your head each way repeatedly and using your hands to provide resistance can make your neck much stronger. Your shoulders also provide a lot of support for your neck. Shoulder exercises can increase the stability of your neck as well.

Head Position Awareness

Just maintaining awareness of how your head is tilted as you use your phone can help you avoid excessive tilting. Practice looking at your smartphone with your head upright to remind yourself of what good posture feels like, and pay attention during the times you deviate from good posture.

Chiropractic Treatment

If you are experiencing neck pain from text neck, or from any other type of injury, chiropractic can help. Please contact us now to schedule your appointment and get some relief!

constantly looking down at your phone el paso, tx.

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The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to contact us. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN* email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com phone: 915-850-0900 Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*