Smartphones, comupters, and tablets have become an empdemic in most peoples lives. Most of us can hardly recall the last time we spent a day away from these tech devices. Our younger generation may grow up not ever having that possibility.

As a growing number of Americans use their smartphones as their primary means of accessing the internet for personal use and for work, it’s hard for a day to go by without being hunched over, neck bent, looking at a screen.

Digital Realities of Our Everyday Lives

Our days begin in a flurry, often being aroused by our smartphone alarms. We wake the kids up and manage to get them off to school, all the while, tablets, screens, and smartphones punctuate our morning routines.

For many of us, a typical day at the office means long hours spent sitting at a desk. And when free time presents itself, we spend our breaks with even more time bent over a screen, text messaging friends and family, checking out the newest free games, and spending time on social media.

While it may seem that these activities are harmless and even help to keep stress at bay, they can result in injuries that affect the neck and back.

Such injuries are not as harmless as we might think. Many medical professionals point to their prevalence as a new epidemic, affecting people of all ages across the globe.

It’s hard to go anywhere these days and not notice that at least half the people are peering down towards their smartphone or tablet. Eyes are drawn down, neck bent at an uncomfortable 40-degree angle, and shoulders rounded. This is the perfect position for gazing into a screen, but it often results in what experts refer to as “text neck syndrome.”

“Text neck” usually results in headaches, neck pain, shoulder, arm and spine pain, and stiffness, due to the loss of curvature in your spine in the cervical region.

This loss is a direct result of large amounts of time looking down at your smartphone or tablet. Ongoing postural stress can result in chronic neck pain with symptoms extending into the upper back and the arms.

Neck and Back Pain Spanning Age Groups

This loss in the curvature of the spine used to present in much older patients, but many health professionals are concerned to see this occurring within the younger population.

But it comes as no surprise due to the sheer amount of screen-watching that these populations engage in daily. According to a tech research firm, IDC, 79 percent of 18 to 44-year olds keep their smartphones with them an average of 22 hours per day.

The Symptoms of Text Neck

Whether you spend your days working on a computer or like playing games and texting on your smartphone, chances are you may already be suffering from “text neck” or a similar strain on your neck, shoulders, and spine.

• Upper back pain that can range from chronic, nagging pain to severe upper back spasms.

• Stiffness and tightness in your neck and shoulders.

• Shoulder pain which can result in muscle spasms.

• Constant Headaches

• Possible pinched cervical nerve, resulting in pain and neurological symptoms that may radiate down the arm and hand.

• Fatigue and nausea

• Preventing Screen-time Neck Pain and Back Pain

In addition, sitting in a slumped position restricts your lungs’ ability to expand, impairing your lung capacity. Inhaling less oxygen means your heart needs to pump harder to distribute more oxygen-carrying blood through your body.

Living in the digital age is the new reality. But we shouldn’t pay for our Netflix subscriptions with our health!

Steps To Potect Yourself From Tech Neck

The pain and fatigue associated with screen-time posture can be prevented. A great place to start is your workplace. Consider how your current ergonomic setup at work might be affecting your posture. By making just a few adjustments, your body will thank you!

• Move your laptop or mobile phone up to eye level.

• Take short breaks away from screen every 15 minuets and stretch your neck and shoulders. This can limit the amount of strain you’re putting on your neck.

• Rest your forearms on a pillow while typing can help minimize neck tension.

• Invest in an external keyboard if you are smartphone-dependent in regular life and at work.

• Do strength excercises to strengthen your core, neck and back muscles.

Be Smart with Your Smartphone

We all need to use a bit of smarts as we use this incredible technology. It’s best to avoid using mobile devices while in bright sunlight because straining to see the screen leads to jutting the chin forward, shifting work from the spine to the muscles that hold up the head. And while on that long road trip, it’s best to avoid texting for long periods of time while traveling in the car.

• Notice Your Posture to Avoid Smartphone Neck Pain

Becoming more mindful of your screen-watching tendencies, in general, can also work wonders and address both back pain and neck pain.

• Sit up straight with your chest out and your shoulders back. Avoid bending over your smartphone or tablet from a hunched position.

• Bring your phone up to eye level, which will keep your spine in the right position by raising or propping your arms up in front of your eyes so that you don’t need to look down to see the screen.

• Tuck your chin into your chest to look down rather than dropping your head forward.

What To Do If You're Suffering Text Neck?

Go To A Good Chiorpractor

If you’re experiencing neck and back pain, I highly suggest a "good chiropractor." Check their Credentials. Check the chiropractor’s website to know more about the years of experience. Check Patients Reviews.

Treatments may include manual adjustments, spinal minipulation, stretches, massage therapy and other options to get the relief you need. Treatment is non-invasive and non-surgical.

Get Physical Therapy

Physical therapy has many benefits if you're suffering from tech neck and other muscle problems. A trained physical therapist can assess your needs and show you how to perform each exercise safely, reducing your risk of injury.

During a course of physical therapy, you'll also work on improving your range of motion and addressing stiffness and soreness caused by tech neck.

Conclusion:

Text neck can cause long-term damage to your spinal nerves and cervical discs. If you don't do something to prevent it, you could encounter, pinched nerves, and denegerated disks affecting your spinal column.

So don't let your smart phone outsmart you. Start today so you can prevent the pain and agony that goes along with "text neck".