Text Neck Syndrome

What is Text Neck Syndrome?

Text neck syndrome or smartphone neck syndrome is a stress injury to neck, which is caused by constantly looking or hunching for longer period of time to electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops.

How does Text Neck Syndrome happen?

The syndrome known as “text neck,” or “tech neck,” is caused by putting our heads forward, which causes constant strain on the neck region.

Looking down causes three things to happen:

• Your neck juts forward.
• Your shoulders will either bend forward or rise up toward your ears.
• The muscles in your neck and shoulders start to tighten.

Maintaining this position for an extended period of time could be harmful to your cervical spine, shoulders, and supporting ligaments.

Text neck can be extremely distracting because you usually don’t realize the effects of your posture until it’s too late. Sometimes you can become so caught up in what you’re witnessing that symptoms don’t even register with you for a long time. Unfortunately, there is something similar to an a chain.

Causes:

Mobile phones and other portable electronic devices can cause text neck syndrome. However, other factors and actions may also cause or worsen this issue.

Here are some additional possible causes and contributing factors, although smartphones are a common cause because of the way they encourage users to tilt their heads forward and down, which results in poor neck and spinal posture;

• Utilizing a computer

Text neck can also result from prolonged use of laptops, desktop computers, and other devices, especially if the workspace is not ergonomically designed or if the computer monitor is not at eye level.

• Reading devices like eBook readers and tablets

Much like with cellphones, prolonged use of tablets and e-readers at low angles can result in text neck.

People should be aware of their posture if they engage in any activity that requires tilting their heads forward and downward. Text neck syndrome can be caused by a wide range of lifestyle decisions and activities.

Sign and Symptoms:

• One of the main signs of text neck is neck pain, which can be continuous or chronic. The degree of pain can vary widely, from slight discomfort to terrible pain.

• Back pain in the upper back: A sharp pain in the back, particularly in the space between the shoulder blades.

• Shoulder pain: Placing your head forward can put strain and tension on your shoulder muscles.

• Headaches: Cervical dysplasia, also known as tension headaches, can be caused on by problems with the neck.

• Restricted range of motion: It could be difficult for someone with stiffness in their neck to turn their head or looking up.

• Muscle rigidity: Tightness and stiffness in the neck and upper back muscles are common symptoms.

• Changes in posture: An individual’s posture may be aggravated by muscle weakness and strain on the shoulders and neck.

There could be additional indications, such as;

• Decrease in thoracic kyphosis severity
• Cervical spondylosis, or early-onset arthritis
• Degeneration of the spine
• Disc compression
• Reduced capacity to breathe

Diagnosis:

A physical examination, medical history, and discussion of symptoms are some of the methods used by a healthcare provider, such as a physiotherapist or primary care physician, to diagnose text neck.

X-rays and other medical imaging tests can evaluate a person’s posture and degree of spinal damage.

• X-ray: This diagnostic tool can help identify issues such as bone spurs and degenerative changes to the spine.

• Computed tomography (CT) scans: These diagnostic procedures employ a series of X-ray images to provide multiple cuts of the neck and spine.

• Magnitude and radio waves are combined to produce extremely detailed images of soft tissues, including the spinal cord, and bone during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

• Electromyography (EMG): A pinched nerve can be diagnosed with an EMG and nerve conduction study, which entails inserting a needle into a muscle to measure nerve signal speed.

Treatment:

It is important to remember the following recommendations from a systematic review of Text Neck when using phones or other portable electronics:

• Avoid overusing and take frequent breaks.
• Inability to stay still for very long.
• The device should be adjusted to release pressure from the upper limbs, neck, and head.
• Avoid doing repetitive tasks such as swiping or prolonged talking.
• Stay out of using one hand to hold large, heavy devices for prolonged periods of time.

The primary objective when things are active is to lessen pain. You can accomplish that by;

• Neck movements include extending and rotating the neck.
• chin exercises
• Ice/heat packs
• Massage
• In cases of severe chronic pain, trigger point therapy, facet joint injections, or medication are available.

Physiotherapy Treatment:

Pain Management:

To help reduce inflammation and pain, modalities like electrical stimulation, heat therapy, cold therapy, or ultrasound may be used initially.

Two additional manual therapy techniques that can help lessen stress and soreness in the muscles are massage and soft tissue mobilization therapies.

Exercise for Text Neck:

Chin Tucks

• Start by sitting or standing straight and focusing your gaze on one spot in the room.
• Put your index finger on your chin to help guide your actions.
• Push your chin to your throat after ensuring that your head is completely horizontal.
• Your head should not bend to look at your toes during the move; instead, it should result in a double chin while you maintain a straight forward gaze.
• Hold this position for a few seconds.
• Then return to your neutral position.
• Then relax.

Shoulder Scapular Squeeze

• When you stand or sit, keep your hands by your sides.
• Open your elbows to the side and squeeze your shoulder blades back to feel a stretch at the front of your chest.
• Lower your head and shoulders and back to improve the stretch.
• Raise your shoulders and keep your head forward.
• Avoid touching your ears with your hands.
• For a few seconds, maintain the position.
• Then return to your neutral position.
• Then relax.

Neck Rotation Stretch

• Maintain proper posture while seated in a chair.
• To avoid any deformities, make sure the neck is in a neutral position (slightly pushed) before beginning.
• Then turn your head to the right and look over your right shoulder.
• Once you are at your limit, push gently, hold, and place your left hand on your cheek.
• Keep your neck in a neutral position at all times and never push this stretch.
• Then return to your neutral position.
• Then relax.

Text Neck Syndrome Complications:

If treatment for text neck is not received, it can lead to more serious conditions or issues like;

• Imbalances muscles

The muscles and ligaments of the neck and upper back can become imbalanced due to constant strain. Not only is this painful, but it may also have an impact on posture and general musculoskeletal wellness.

• Prolonged pain

A person’s quality of life and daily activities may be seriously affected if they ignore text neck, which can eventually develop into upper back and neck pain that is persistent.

• Degenerative disc disease

Having a bad posture can put more strain on the cervical spine and move the intervertebral discs’ degeneration over time. In the affected area, degenerative disc degeneration is a condition that causes pain, stiffness, and decreased mobility. This could make it worse.

• Compression of the nerves

Disorders like radiculopathy, or pinched nerves, which can cause pain, tingling, or numbness in the hands and arms, can be caused on by long-term compression of the neck’s nerves.

Prevention:

The following are some helpful preventive measures;

• Find out the cause of your pain if it continues for a long time

If your pain persists for a long period, you should consider getting adjusted. In the long run, this will treat the structural issues that text neck causes and help with pain relief.

• Modify your phone handling technique

To avoid bending too far forward, bring your phone up to eye level. To align your shoulders and ear, maintain a neutral spine. The head will no longer tilt forward after doing this.

• Take phone breaks

A simple pause from the phone, lasting two to three minutes, once every hour can be beneficial. Although most people find this to be quite uncomfortable, the most common solution for preventing text neck is to break the habit of looking down to use a phone or complete any work.

• Get into a straight posture

Maintaining proper posture involves keeping the shoulders back and chin tucked in to maintain the body’s alignment in a neutral position.

• Engage in regular exercise

.A flexible, strong back and neck can withstand additional strain better. Teenagers who participate in power or low-impact team sports have a lower risk of neck pain.

Summary:

When you hold your head forward for an extended period of time, you can cause repetitive stress injuries to your neck, which is known as text neck syndrome. The muscles in the neck and shoulders, the supporting ligaments, and the cervical spine’s curvature are all affected by the forward-leaning posture.

The increased use of electronic devices has led to an increased concern regarding text neck syndrome. However, using proper awareness, posture correction, and medical intervention when needed, people can manage and prevent it.

Text neck can be prevented or treated by adopting good posture and trying health care as soon as symptoms visible.

FAQ:

References:

• August 7, 2024; Kachhadiya, D. Text Neck Syndrome: %program of physical therapy & symptoms %. Exercise and Physical Therapy Management. Text-neck syndrome: Physical Therapy, Inc.

• On April 29, 2024, Dalwani, D. Cause, Symptoms, and Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy. Exercise and Physical Therapy Management. cervical radiation syndrome at physical-therapy.us

• DeWitt (n.d.). Text Neck Prevention and Treatment. Neck pain: https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/text-neck-treatment-and-prevention

• On November 10, 2023b, Ames, H. The facts regarding text neck syndrome. Text-neck syndrome article on Medical News Today’s website

• Image 1, June 17, 2018b; Benavides, J., & Benavides, J. The First Daily Exercise: Roots for the Chin Tuck. The chin tuck daily exercise can be found at https://rootsaustin.com/2018/06/15/1/

• Image 2, Exercises for Scapular Retraction: Advantages & Correct Form. July 26, 2023. HealthPages.org | Anatomy, Surgery, Pregnancy, Nutrition, Fitness. https://www.healthpages.org/workouts-exercises/scapular-retraction-exercises-benefits-form/

• Image 3, Pegg, A. (not available). What is the stretch for neck rotation? Neck rotation stretch by SteadyStrength. http://steadystrength.com/stretches/