Text Neck in Children

Text neck syndrome: Although not a formal diagnosis, it is a common term that refers to a repetitive stress injury to the neck caused by having your head in a forward position for an extended period. This is primarily due to excessive texting and mobile device use.

This condition is now frequently seen in children and not just in adults. That hunched back posture!

The forward ‘bending over’ (pending) posture affects the curvature of the top of the spine, (cervical spine) the neck and shoulder muscles, and supporting ligaments.

According to an article in the The Washington Post, “Smartphone users spend an average of two to four hours per day hunched over, reading e-mails, sending texts or checking social media sites. That’s 700 to 1,400 hours per year.”

According to the study published in Surgical Technology International (2014), about 27 pounds (12.2kg) of pressure goes through the neck (cervical spine) when neck is bent at 15 degrees; 40 pounds (18.1kg) at 30 degrees; 49 (22.2kg) pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds (27.2kg) at 60 degrees. Most children (and adults) bend their necks between 20 and 45 degrees when we’re using our phones, that means they constantly put considerable amount of pressure through their necks which leads to pain and muscle stiffness.

• 1. Place your mobile device up to eye level.
• 2. Roll those shoulders backwards and bring your shoulder blades closer to each other
• 3. Take breaks every 15-20 mins
• 4. Whenever possible, place the device on a stand (on a table) instead of holding it in the hands or a surface below eye level
• 5. Do simple neck, shoulder and upper back stretches everyday to maintain good neck mobility and posture.

If you want to know more about these exercises, please comment below and we will do our best to better demonstrate!