Hopefully by now, we are all getting out a bit more, but we cannot ignore the fact that during lockdown many of us have been a lot
more sedentary than usual. After all, even those
cheeky television ads were telling us to keep our
bums on the sofa. Unfortunately, modern soft
furnishings and technology are not designed to
encourage favourable posture.
An unwanted side-effect of limited activity is soft tissues strain resulting from sustained postures, but how many of us
pay attention to how we are
carrying our head?
The term “Text Neck” is a modern neologism that has entered into common recognition with health practitioners to describe the neck and shoulder pain experienced when the head is held tipped forward and down to look at a screen for prolonged periods
of time, think of a tortoise poking its head forward from its shell, and you are somewhere near! Look around you, people peering at their phone or computer screens, or slumping in their seats, many if not most carry their heads in front of their chests.
Symptoms are varied but can include neck pain, tightness around the neck and shoulder muscles or headache/heavy-head feeling, and tend to worsen with time.
Try bending your finger back. That slightly burning pain is the effect of overstretching your ligaments and joint structures, but soon goes when the stretch is released. That sensation is usually enough to get us to change position. But what if you are engrossed? Text Neck is essentially a repetitive strain injury. The human body has a huge capacity to adapt, so over time, stretched muscle and ligament lengthen, and shortened structures contract, resulting in adaptive change to habitual positions.
The human head weighs approximately 11 pounds, and this is the force exerted through the neck and upper back with the head in ideal alignment, ears over shoulders and the spinal curves in neutral. But remember, if you hold something out in front of
you, it feels heavier than by your side, so the further forward your head, the more strain it exerts. At just 15 degrees forward tilt strain rises to 27lb and by 60 degrees it’s a massive 60lb. No wonder the neck and shoulder muscles complain!
What can you do?
It’s all about posture and positioning. Good neck alignment needs good lumbar alignment, so sit up tall, shoulders over hips, and your head will follow. In standing, draw yourself upright as if there is a puppet string attached to the tip of each ear. Alternatively, attach an imaginary helium balloon to your crown and let it float you upright. Good posture is light posture, it shouldn’t cause tight
muscles. Draw your head back slightly so that your ears move back over your shoulders. Your chin
should not drop down into your neck, restricting your throat, nor should it tilt up, poking forwards and dropping the back of your head. Take regular breaks and arch your upper spine backwards, stretching your arms behind you, to open your shoulders. Most importantly raise your device so that it is in your eye line - as my father used to admonish me: take your fork to your mouth, not your mouth to your fork! Finally, if your dangly earring falls off, it should bounce off your shoulder, not drop into your bra!