Does Your Kid Have Text Neck?
In this day and age, kids are constantly using their cell phones to communicate, and this includes looking down at their devices.
The result of doing this for hours every day is undoubtedly stressful on your spine and posture. It is essential to educate our children on the importance of proper posture and keeping our devices at eye level in order to prevent the dreaded “text neck” from occurring.
Text neck is caused by repeated tension- The initial dangers of text neck include increased tension in the neck muscles that are used to hold the head up. Repeatedly creating this tension on the neck muscles can result in the decreased function of the muscles and spine, and can ultimately jeopardize your future health and comfort.
Text neck can be prevented- Limiting the phone use of our children is one way to help prevent text neck, but it is often more realistic to educate our children about how to properly use a phone or tablet to prevent text neck from occurring. Teach your children to keep the device at eye level or upwards to prevent them from looking down, and when in the car, prop the device up on the seat to get your children in the habit of viewing a device this way.
Text neck is somewhat preventable- According to Dr. Palmer and Dr. Campbell, text neck can be reversed as long as there are no degenerative changes to the spine, and as long as the habit is reversed early to no longer put tension on the neck muscles.
How can chiropractic care help?- If you suspect that you or a family member is suffering from text neck, chiropractic care is an effective way to treat the cause and reverse the symptoms.