What is text neck syndrome: cell disease

Text neck syndrome is a condition that causes pain in the neck due to the constant and wrong use of the cell phone and other portable electronic devices, such as tablets or laptops , for example. Usually, the syndrome arises from the wrong posture when using these devices, which ends up leading to a degradation of the joints and nerves in the cervical spine.

In addition to pain in the neck, people with this syndrome may also experience a sensation of muscles trapped in the shoulders, chronic pain in the upper back and even a deviation in spine alignment, which can result in a slightly bent forward posture. As these types of devices are increasingly used, text neck syndrome has become increasingly prevalent, affecting millions of people.

To avoid this syndrome it is important to acquire a correct posture when using portable electronic devices, as well as to do recurrent stretching exercises, to relieve pressure in the cervical region and avoid sequelae such as herniated discs or spine degradation. To better guide the treatment, it is advisable to consult an orthopedist or a physical therapist.

Main symptoms

Initially, text neck syndrome causes milder and more temporary symptoms, which arise mainly after spending several minutes using a cell phone or other device and which include pain in the neck, feeling of muscles stuck in the shoulders and a more bent forward posture.

However, when the posture is not corrected and this degradation continues to happen continuously, the syndrome can cause inflammation of the ligaments, muscles and nerves in the region, resulting in other more permanent and serious damage, such as:

• Chronic headache; Vertebral degeneration; Vertebral disc compression; Early arthritis; Disc herniations; Tingling in the arms and hands.

These symptoms are more intense according to the time spent using the devices, and in most cases they can only appear with 1 or 2 hours of daily use.

Why the syndrome arises

In the correct posture, which is when the ears are aligned with the center of the shoulders, the weight of the head is well distributed, not causing excessive pressure on the vertebrae, nor on the neck muscles. This position is known as a neutral position.

However, when the head is tilted forward, as when holding the cell phone, the weight on the vertebrae and the muscles increases exponentially, reaching eight times that of the neutral position, which translates to about 30 kg on the neck vertebrae.

Thus, when you spend a lot of time looking at the cell phone screen, or when you frequently hold a position with your head tilted forward, injuries to the nerves, muscles and vertebrae can result, resulting in inflammation and the development of the syndrome. This concern is even greater in children, since they have a head to body ratio, which causes the head to put even more pressure on the neck region than in adults.

How to treat the syndrome

The best way to treat text neck syndrome would be to avoid using the electronic devices that originate it, however, as this is not a valid option, it is best to stretch and exercise to relieve pressure on the region. neck, in addition to restricting the use of the devices to a minimum.

For this, the ideal is to consult an orthopedist or a physiotherapist, to adapt the exercises to personal needs. However, some exercises that can be done at home, 2 to 3 times a day, until the consultation, and that can even help to prevent the development of the syndrome are:

1. Chin exercise

To do this exercise one should try to reach with the tip of the chin in the middle of the neck, more or less in the region where the "gogó" is, keeping in that position for 15 seconds.

2. Neck exercises

In addition to the chin exercise, there are still some neck exercises that can be done. These exercises mainly include 2 types: tilting the neck to one side and the other, holding in each position for 15 seconds, and the exercise of rotating the head to the right and left, also holding for 15 seconds in each side.

3. Shoulder exercise

This exercise is great for strengthening the muscles of the upper back, which end up getting stretched and weaker when you have an incorrect posture. To do this exercise, you should sit with your back straight and then try to join shoulder blades, holding for a few seconds and releasing. This exercise can be done up to 10 times in a row.

See also a video of our physiotherapist to have a more correct posture on a daily basis:

In addition to these exercises, there are still some precautions that can be maintained throughout the day and that help to avoid or treat the symptoms of text neck syndrome, such as trying to hold the devices at eye level, taking regular breaks every 20 or 30 minutes or avoid using the devices with just one hand, for example.