Posture & Tech Neck

With the progression of today’s modern technology we spend more and more time in front of smartphones and devices. Most of us don’t even realise how often we are on our phones, laptops, devices.  Even every day activities such as driving our cars and brushing our teeth causes us to draw our heads forward and place increase pressure on the small joints, discs and muscles that support our head.

Our heads are heavy, whereas the neck is relatively fragile and should be perfectly positioned in a C shape (often referred to as our ‘arc of life’) due to its important relationship in supporting our head and nervous system. This unique shape allows our neck to stay strong and mobile. However increasing time spent holding our heads forward on a 45-degree angle places a large amount of stress on our neck and shoulders. It is not uncommon to spend hours each day in this forward slumped position.

Our neck is made up of 7 bones called vertebrae, these bones are separated by disc’s which act like spongy shock absorbers. Each of these joints is held together by ligaments to provide stability and muscles which provide motion and mobility in the spine. This incredible design allows our neck to stay flexible and mobile while at the same time being strong and protecting our Central Nervous System within it.

By constantly overloading the neck these little ‘microtraumas’ accumulate over time and eventually began to damage joints, discs and even nerves due to the increased load placed on our neck when holding our head down and forward.
‘Tech Neck’ refers to a condition in which this constant overloading physically changes and alters the normal C alignment of the neck. Once we lose this normal structure our spine is left far more vulnerable to weakening and damage. Joints, muscles, discs and even nerves are increasingly impacted and damaged the more we lose this normal shape.

Common symptoms that people may experience with Tech Neck include, pain, stiffness, aching, numbness, sharp pain, shooting pain and even reduced mobility in both the neck and shoulders.

When Tech Neck is left or ignored symptoms tend to accumulate and worsen with time, the weakened state of the spine can even damage the neck potentially leading to conditions such as osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease.

Just like with any condition, the successful treatment of tech neck first requires a proper diagnosis which includes full physical testing including neurological testing and potentially Xray imaging if indicated. Once the cause and stage of condition is determined then and appropriate treatment plan can be designed.

While Tech Neck is very difficult to avoid in today’s modern society with the use of technology, the true long-term untreated effects and not yet fully understood.

At Adjusted Chiropractic Studios we use state of the art technology and testing to identify the root cause of your neck problems. Once a proper diagnosis is established, we can then design a taylor-made plan in order to achieve a long-lasting result. When it comes to your health we don’t guess.