Spending hours leaning over the screen of a tablet or phone, we do not think about our back at all. And in vain — this situation greatly worsens her condition. Is it possible to avoid unpleasant consequences?
The head of an adult human weighs about 4,5–5,5 kilograms. The neck can easily withstand such a load. But the more the slope, the harder it becomes. So, an angle of 60 degrees weighs the head up to 27 kilograms.
We spend two to four hours a day leaning over smartphones and tablets. That is — from 700 to 1400 hours a year. Gradually, this causes chronic tension and pain in the neck. What is happening has already got its name: text-neck (neck means “neck”). Long-term deep head tilt, which is unusual for our body, gradually leads to premature erasure of the vertebrae, damage to the neck muscles, and also increases the risk of migraines and arthrosis in the upper spine (1).
What to do?
1. Take your gadget differently. Instead of hovering over the screen, keep it at eye level. At the same time, place your elbows on the table to reduce tension in your shoulders.
2. Sitting in a chair or bed, place your elbows on a high pillow in your lap. In public transport, rest your elbows on the bag.
3. From time to time, look straight ahead and to the sides to stretch the muscles of the neck.
4. A simple set of exercises developed by osteopath Sergey Starikov will help relieve neck pain. Swimming helps a lot. The doctor assures that even two workouts a week help to forget about problems with the spine forever. To unload the neck, it is best to swim on your back and breaststroke, lowering your head into the water.
(1) K. Hansraj «Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine Caused by Posture and Position of the Head», surgicaltechnology.com