Tech neck is an epidemic. It is in your community. It is here and it needs your attention.
What is tech neck?
You see it every single day. You work with it. You live next door to it. You may even see it on yourself. Do you feel it?
Tech Neck, also referred to as cervical kyphosis, is the common term used for the stiffness and muscle strain at the tip of the spine, the lower cervical vertebrae, below the skull. This is caused by the repetitive poor viewing posture of smart devices.
Head hangs low - chin lies close to the chest, while the forehead points towards the ground, sometimes parallel. A hunchback slouch forms.
The Tech Neck position puts a great deal of weight and stress onto the neck. According to physics, heads gain more weight the farther the angle of inclination. The muscles, ligaments, tendons and other tissue structures, which are all meant to support the spine, are strained and exhausted. Therefore, this position puts increasing tension and unnecessary compression on the joints and discs along the entire spine. The Tech Neck position puts the entire body at risk of deformity and injury. It is only a matter of time.
There are a few surgical procedures that involves micro dissection, whereby the intervertebral discs are removed (and sometimes replaced) to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The surgery is necessary for patients who are experiencing neurological and/or muscular deficiency, prohibiting normal functionality in everyday life. The symptoms primary root cause is from tech neck, formally known as text neck. This surgery is now, supposedly, as common as getting your tonsils out.
Imagine that. You can physically evolve your own body. Your muscles, and even bones, can actually move into the primary position you hold. WOW. Luckily for you, you choose what position that is.
Spinal alignment, core strength and balance are the foundations for a physical body to thrive. Movements turn into habits and that turn into a lifestyle. If you do not have a movement practice, your body will autopilot its own position. Posture is vitally important to practice for a healthy livelihood, and our future generations development.
Article credit: Natalie Sannemalm