Mobile phones can be seriously bad news for your neck
Using your mobile phone can be seriously bad news for your neck. Take a look around next time your on a train, a tram, in the shops or a restaurant. It’s amazing to see the number of people with their head down, looking at their smartphone. These nifty devices have certainly made many aspects of our day to day life easier, but we definitely need to be smarter about the way we use them.
According to research published by Kenneth Hansraj, Chief of Surgery at the New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic, when texting on your mobile phone, people often adopt poor neck postures, leading to significant force being placed on the tissues of the neck.
When standing upright, the force on the neck is equivalent to the weight of the human head – which is approximately 4-5kg. When looking down at the screen of a mobile phone, the force on the neck can increase by up to approximately 27kg. This type of posture, if held for prolonged periods, or repeated frequently throughout the day, leads to adverse strain on the tissues of the neck. Over time, neck pain and a range of other symptoms (headache, arm pain, pins and needles or numbness) and/or injuries can creep in.
THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR – to avoid a pain in the neck, be mindful of your posture throughout the day, particularly when using your mobile phone OR other mobile device (tablet, iPod, laptop).
TIPS TO AVOID A PAIN IN THE NECK:
✓ Good posture, when it comes to the neck, involves keeping your ears relatively aligned with your shoulders, while gently drawing your shoulder blades back and together.
✓ Rather than tilting your neck, use your arm(s) and hand(s), and raise your mobile devise to a height where you can maintain an upright/neutral neck position while viewing the screen.
✓ Alternatively, lower your eyes to view the screen, maintaining your neck in a neutral position.
✓ Avoid prolonged use. While mobile devices are designed to be easily accessible, they should be used for short periods only.
So, next time you see your friends or family on their phone or mobile device with their head down, give them a nudge and remind them to stand tall and keep their head up! The same goes for other mobile devices – these can also lead to postural problems.
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To arrange a postural assessment or review of your workstation set-up and work methods, arrange an appointment with one of our physiotherapists.
