If you’ve ever spent hours scrolling through your phone, hunched over with your neck craned forward, you might have experienced the dreaded “text neck.” It’s a modern-day problem that affects anyone who spends a little too much time looking down at their phone or tablet (which, let’s be honest, is almost all of us). At Well Adjusted Buckhead, Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian are experts in addressing the painful issue of text neck with chiropractic care. Spoiler alert: relief is just an adjustment away!

Let’s dive into what text neck is, how it affects your spine, and how chiropractic adjustments can help correct this all-too-common condition.

What is Text Neck?

• Defining the Modern Problem
  Text neck refers to the strain on your neck caused by looking down at your phone or other electronic devices for extended periods of time. The average adult head weighs about 10-12 pounds, but when you tilt your head forward, the strain on your neck increases significantly. At a 60-degree angle, your head can exert as much as 60 pounds of force on your neck. Ouch!

• Symptoms of Text Neck
  Text neck doesn’t just cause pain in the neck—it can lead to headaches, shoulder pain, upper back stiffness, and even tingling or numbness in the arms. These symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something’s out of alignment. And if left untreated, text neck can cause long-term problems like chronic neck pain, poor posture, and even disc degeneration.

How Text Neck Affects Your Spine

1. The Impact on Your Cervical Spine

• Forward Head Posture
  When you spend hours looking down at your phone, it pulls your head forward, creating what’s known as forward head posture. This position puts extra strain on the cervical spine (the neck portion of your spine) and leads to muscle imbalances, causing pain and discomfort.

• Spinal Misalignment
  Over time, the constant pressure from poor posture can lead to misalignments in your spine. These misalignments, known as subluxations, can compress nerves, restrict movement, and lead to inflammation in the surrounding muscles and tissues. This is why text neck can be so painful—it’s not just your muscles that are affected, but your entire spine!

1. Degenerative Changes

• Wearing Down the Discs
  If you don’t address text neck early, it can lead to more serious long-term problems, like disc degeneration. The constant pressure on your cervical spine can cause the discs between your vertebrae to wear down, leading to conditions like herniated discs, which can cause even more pain and limit your mobility.

• Muscle Imbalances
  The muscles at the back of your neck and upper back work overtime to support your head in its forward position, while the muscles at the front of your neck weaken. This imbalance can cause tightness, stiffness, and chronic discomfort. Without intervention, this imbalance can worsen and lead to even more pronounced posture issues.

How Chiropractic Adjustments Can Correct Text Neck

1. Restoring Proper Alignment

• Chiropractic Adjustments for Spinal Health
  At Well Adjusted Buckhead, Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian use chiropractic adjustments to restore proper alignment to your cervical spine. By applying precise, controlled force to misaligned vertebrae, chiropractic adjustments can relieve the pressure on your nerves and muscles, helping to correct forward head posture and relieve the pain of text neck.

• Improving Mobility
  One of the key benefits of chiropractic care is improved mobility. Text neck can limit your ability to move your neck and shoulders freely, but regular chiropractic adjustments can restore your range of motion. This makes it easier to hold your head in a neutral position, reducing the strain on your neck.

1. Relieving Muscle Tension

• Relaxing Tight Muscles
  Chiropractic adjustments do more than just realign your spine—they also help relieve muscle tension. When your spine is properly aligned, the muscles around your neck and shoulders can relax, reducing tightness and stiffness. This helps relieve the chronic discomfort associated with text neck.

• Preventing Future Tension
  With regular chiropractic care, your muscles won’t have to work as hard to support your head, since your spine will be properly aligned. This prevents the muscle imbalances that contribute to text neck and helps reduce the risk of future pain or injury.

1. Supporting Long-Term Posture Improvement

• Building Better Posture Habits
  Chiropractic care is all about addressing the root cause of your pain, not just the symptoms. In addition to providing adjustments, Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian will work with you to improve your posture habits. They’ll provide you with tips and exercises to help you maintain good posture, both at work and during your screen time.

• Strengthening Weak Muscles
  Text neck often leads to muscle imbalances, with some muscles becoming overworked while others weaken. Chiropractic care can help strengthen the muscles that support good posture, including your neck, upper back, and core muscles. Over time, this helps you maintain better posture without constantly reminding yourself to sit up straight.

Preventing Text Neck: Chiropractic-Approved Tips

1. Hold Your Phone Higher

• Bring Your Screen to Eye Level
  One of the easiest ways to prevent text neck is to hold your phone at eye level, so you don’t have to tilt your head forward. The less time you spend looking down, the less strain you’ll put on your neck. It might feel awkward at first, but your neck will thank you!

1. Take Frequent Breaks

• The 20-20-20 Rule
  Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away. This reduces eye strain and encourages you to move your neck and shoulders. Frequent breaks help prevent the muscle stiffness and tension that contribute to text neck.

1. Strengthen Your Neck Muscles

• Posture-Improving Exercises
  Incorporating neck and upper back strengthening exercises into your routine can help prevent text neck. Exercises like chin tucks, shoulder blade squeezes, and neck stretches help maintain proper alignment and support good posture. Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian can recommend specific exercises to help you stay aligned.

Conclusion

Text neck is a common issue in our tech-driven world, but it doesn’t have to be a permanent pain in the neck. With chiropractic adjustments at Well Adjusted Buckhead, Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian can help realign your spine, relieve tension, and prevent the long-term effects of poor posture. By combining chiropractic care with posture-improving habits, you can say goodbye to text neck and hello to a healthier, pain-free neck!

Visit Well Adjusted Buckhead for Text Neck Relief

If you’re struggling with neck pain from too much screen time, it’s time to visit Dr. Jess and Dr. Bastian at Well Adjusted Buckhead. Our chiropractic care will help realign your spine, relieve your pain, and get you back to feeling your best. Book your appointment today and take the first step toward text neck relief!

Helping you feel your best with health + humor,

-Dr. Jess

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