Addicted To Your Mobile Phone? It Can Give You Text Neck; Know Symptoms, Prevention Methods And Complications
Looking down at your devices can cause serious aches and pains. A day without mobile phones seems impossible. This can result in text neck. Here's everything you need to know about text neck.
Story Highlights
Addicted on mobile phones? The use of gadgets has increased tremendously in the past years. A day without mobile phones seems impossible. With texting, watching movies or gaming mobile phones have become an important part of everyone's life. According to researchers at Harvard Medical Health, seven out of ten people suffer from neck aches at some point or the other. According to studies, a person spends approximately five hours every day looking at their phones. Looking down at your devices can cause serious aches and pains. This position is also known as text neck which can be harmful to you in many ways
What is text neck? Symptoms, prevention and complication
What is text neck?
The term text neck was coined by US chiropractor Dr. Dean L. Fishman. It is a condition that is on constant growth among mobile phone users. You might have noticed yourself using phones with head forward slightly looking down, shoulders round and back bent. This posture is called text neck which can lead to stress injury.
Also read: 7 Home Remedies For Back Pain
Symptoms of text neck
You can experience symptoms of text neck if you spend more hours looking down on the phone. When you are looking down there is more stress on your neck as it has to carry more weight. Some common symptoms of text neck may include-
- Stiff neck
- Soreness and difficulty in moving the neck
- Muscular weakness
- Pain in neck, shoulders and sometimes arms
The symptoms may become severe if you are spending more hours on the phone.
Text neck can cause pain in shoulders
Photo Credit: iStock
When to see a doctor?
If the symptoms become severe you must visit a doctor. First, you should limit the number of hours you are spending on the phone. If ignored minor symptoms can later contribute to nerve pain.
Also read: 5 Harmful Effects Of Mobile Phones On Your Brain
How to prevent text neck?
The use of mobile phones has become an important part today. The dependency on mobile phones has increased with time. You must reduce the use of mobile phones as much as possible. You should take a break every hour. If you notice yourself using phone for too long, simply take a break and keep your phone down. You should also consider changing the placement of your mobile phone. If you notice any symptoms you must follow these precautions immediately to avoid any further complication.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.