By Christine Haynes, DC
It has become a social norm to stay up-to-date via social media. If your kids are awake, they have probably been online in the last hour. Studies show if you are between the ages of 8-18, you typically spend 7.5 hours a day with electronic devices. How is all of this technology use affecting our health?
The first seven vertebrae located in the neck make up our cervical spine. From a side view, these bones should stack, forming a forward curve much like a backward C. This curve, like a spring, absorbs shock to your spine and the nervous system it protects.
When using technology, we tend to have poor posture. You are probably reading this in a chair or leaning over a table, slouching, shoulders rounded with your head forward looking down. Over time this posture may cause repetitive micro traumas to the spine, leading to degenerative, arthritic conditions. Disorders involving the spine may become debilitating, resulting in severe pain and possible neurologic injury. These arthritic conditions already affect up to two-thirds of our population. I fear if we do not address the issue of “Tech Neck,” this number will continue to go up.
How might this affect you? When you look down to read, your head usually comes forward. For every inch of forward head posture, the neck muscles feel 10 more pounds of weight. Three inches forward equals 30 extra pounds of stress. This posture can stain your muscles as they feel 20-30 pounds of extra stress for hours a day. As the force builds, it can pull your neck vertebrae out of alignment. Chiropractors call these misalignments of the bones “subluxations.” The body allows subluxations to happen in order to protect our nervous systems in the short term. If stress continues to occur in the spine and subluxtions are left uncorrected, the natural arch in the neck may become reversed as the body tries to relieve the irritation to your nerves.
Think about this comparison. Let us imagine for a moment bending your finger back as far as it will go for an hour. As the nerves, tissues, and bones try to compensate for this position, your hand will become sore and inflamed. This process is similar to how the neck tissues react when we look down.
Research indicates that continuous forward head posture leads to long-term muscle strain, disc herniation, arthritis, and pinched nerves. Short-term irritation may show up as pain, headaches, and stiffness. If left uncorrected, symptoms may progress to fatigue, depression, disc herniations, arthritis, digestive disorders, migraines, jaw pain, and more.
I have started seeing children as young as 11 suffer from poor spinal hygiene with progressing arthritis. This is a topic our nation needs to take notice of now. Our nervous system controls every cell, tissue and organ in our body. When it is under continuous irritation, we start to develop disease. From a health perspective, we need to start educating ourselves about how to take care of our spinal hygiene as we continue to use electronic devices on a daily basis.
Now is the time to take control of your spinal health. Non-operative treatments continue to play an important role in treating people with neck disorders. A great starting point is having a doctor of chiropractic assess the health of your spine and nervous system. This typically involves a detailed physical exam, including X-rays. Your chiropractor will then customize a plan of chiropractic adjustments, supportive exercises, and ancillary therapies for correcting, reversing, or preventing the spinal degeneration process. Following their recommendations will help in achieving optimal results.
Out of the doctor’s office, you will also want to get into the habit of being mindful of your posture. Make an effort to roll your shoulders back, sit up straight and line up your ears over the shoulders. Proper diet and drinking adequate water may help decrease inflammation of irritated tissues. Exercise will support the bone and muscle structures. If you have a desk job, you may benefit from having an ergonomic specialist assess your workstation for proper body alignment. Encourage your children to take breaks every 20 minutes when using electronic devices or sitting for long periods of time. Most importantly, take time to talk with your friends and family about the long-term benefits of proper spinal hygiene.
Are you suffering from “tech neck” or other back and neck pains? We may be able to help. For more information about treatment and chiropractic care for your family, contact Haynes Family Chiropractic at 309-839-8238 or visit haynesfamilychiropractic.com. We are located at 1921 W. Willow Knolls Dr. Suite D. Peoria, IL 61614.
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