A Cure for Digital Addicts’ ‘Text Neck’?

Habitual craning forward over screens can produce the pain of ‘text neck.’

The Ache: In the digital age, many people spend hours daily bent over computers, phones and tablets—our necks craned forward. Some scientists say this unnatural position can lead to pain, headaches and other symptoms, sometimes collectively called “text neck.

The Claim: Technology itself comes to the rescue. An Android app called the Text Neck Indicator measures the angle of your phone and lets you know when you’re holding it in a favorable viewing position. And a new wearable device, Alex, monitors the angle of your neck and vibrates when your posture is poor

The Verdict: Neither product has been tested in a human study. Some scientists say the technological nannies are a good idea. Others caution that neck pain and headaches have complex causes, and—to the surprise of some researchers—a recent study found that better posture doesn’t necessarily prevent pain.

The Text Neck Indicator, invented by Plantation, Fla., chiropractor Dean L. Fishman, shows a green light when your phone is tilted toward you at an “acceptable” viewing angle, defined by the app as at least 65 degrees from the horizontal, says Dr. Fishman. The goal is to encourage people to use their phones with their head in neutral position, with the ears over the shoulders, rather than craned forward, he says. Dr. Fishman has trademarked the term Text Neck.
 

Alex, a small device worn behind the neck from Namu Inc. of Seoul, vibrates when the neck is tilted too far forward. Using an iPhone or Android app, the user calibrates the device by touching the screen when in good posture and poor posture. Alex was launched on Kickstarter and sells on Indiegogo for $99.

If you already have pain, “there may be a benefit if you use something like this in conjunction with an exercise program that strengthens neck muscles and muscles stabilizing the head,” says Alan S. Hilibrand, professor of spinal surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

In 2014, a study in the journal Surgical Technology International used a computer model to calculate that the force to the cervical spine—the seven vertebrae in the neck region—increased from 10 or 12 pounds with the head in a neutral position to 27 pounds at a 15-degree forward tilt and 49 pounds at 45 degrees.

The extra force results in more load on discs, which can eventually degenerate and lead to chronic neck pain, says study co-author Kenneth K. Hansraj, a cervical surgeon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Technological reminders, such as Alex and the Text Neck Indicator, can help “raise awareness” about good posture, adds Dr. Hansraj, who has no link to Dr. Fishman or Namu.

ENLARGE

The Text Neck Indicator app. Photo: Dean Fishman

Some scientists say that, for reasons not yet fully understood, poor posture doesn’t appear to be as linked to neck pain as common sense would suggest. A study of 1,108 adolescents published earlier in May in the journal of the American Physical Therapy Association found no link between posture, including neck tilted forward, and either pain or headaches.

“Can you say to the whole population: If you improve your posture you reduce your risk of neck pain? We haven’t the evidence to say that,” says study co-author Leon M. Straker. a professor of physiotherapy at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Still, devices such as Alex could be helpful for certain people who have noticed that their pain increases with prolonged periods in poor posture, he adds.

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In testing Alex, I liked that I could adjust the neck tilt the device considered “bad,” which allowed me to set reasonable goals. I also liked that the device allowed me to choose how long it gave me before vibrating to warn of poor posture. I chose to have it vibrate after my neck had been craned forward for a minute.

In a brief test of the Text Neck Indicator, on a friend’s Android phone, I found that tilting the device until the light turned green improved my posture from my habitual neck crane to a smaller bend forward. To achieve a neutral position, I needed to not only tilt the phone as prompted by the app, but also move it high in front of my face.

That illustrates the trade-off between improving your neck angle and potentially causing your shoulders and arms to hurt, says Jack Dennerlein, director of the occupational biomechanics and ergonomics laboratory at Northeastern University in Boston. To reduce stress on muscles when raising the phone, hold your arms closer to your body, says Dr. Fishman, adding that holding the phone at a proper angle and height gets easier with improved strength and muscle memory.

Craning your neck occasionally isn’t a bad thing, but it is best for the body to move and a change position often, says Eric K. Robertson, director of graduate physical therapy education for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and a spokesman for the American Physical Therapy Association. When you’re working on a computer or using a device, try to take a break every 15 or 20 minutes and stretch or change position, he says.

 

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Think desk jobs are a pain in the neck? You literally may be right!

Going to work each day puts more wear and tear on the body than most people realize.
And that’s true even when their 40-hour work week requires nothing more than the seemingly safe activity of sitting at a desk all day.

“We tend to think that people with active lifestyles – the weekend warrior types – are the only ones who have to worry about physical injuries,” says Dr. Vladimir Alexander, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of Alexander Orthopaedic Associates.

“But sitting in front of a computer all day also can lead to numerous issues, from back problems to an aching neck. And over time, what start out as mild symptoms can develop into more serious, and even debilitating, conditions.”

For example, lower back pain is one of the leading causes of disability.
“People working at a computer slouch, they slump with their heads leaning forward, they don’t take breaks,” Alexander says. “None of that is conducive to good health.”
He says some of the typical conditions full-time work leads to and ways to alleviate the pain include:

• Back problems. About 80 percent of the U.S. population suffers from back problems, making that one of the more common ailments people face. That percentage could seem high until you realize just about every full-time job – not just those that involve heavy lifting – can cause stress to the back. For those tied to a desk and computer all day, one way to alleviate some of the pain and problems is to be sure to maintain good posture and to use a chair that supports your back. Getting away from the computer periodically also helps.
  
• Neck and shoulder problems. Sedentary jobs really can be a pain in the neck, not to mention the shoulders. Jobs that require repetitive motions – which can include factory jobs or working a cash register – also can be detrimental to the neck and shoulders (Cervical Spondylitis).As with back problems, proper posture can help. So can taking breaks.
• Hip and knee problems. Sitting for hours on end isn’t the only thing that can give rise to work-related maladies. Many people, such as restaurant workers, nurses and flight attendants, are on their feet all day. They may experience knee and hip problems from all that standing and walking. Comfortable shoes and good posture can help, as can orthopedic care.

“The physical difficulties people suffer at work are going to vary depending on the type of job you do and your particular constitution,” Alexander says. “But regardless of what’s ailing you, regular medical care is important to being able to treat the underlying problem and to staying healthy.”

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Ergonomics and Neck Pain

Ergonomics is the science of designing the job to fit the worker so that worker is safe and more efficient in giving quality work.

It is important because when you are doing a job and your body is stressed by an awkward lift and straining posture, up- down temperature and repeated movements, your musculoskeletal system is affected. The symptoms such as fatigue, discomfort and pain in joints, neck and shoulder can be the sign of musculoskeletal disorder(MSD). MSD are the condition that effect body's joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons and structure that supports limb, neck and back. Also the pain and numbness in neck and shoulder are the cervical pain symptoms. 

Serious neck pain can limit your movements of head and can decrease your efficiency. 

The way to protect your neck is to keep your head and neck in an upright position that maintain the real curve of your cervical shape.

Adopt better ergonomics on the job for neck pain relief with these steps:

1. If you lift heavy objects at your job, protect your cervical spine by standing close to the objects you need to lift.

2. Don't stay in one position for a long periods , take break and stretch the muscles of neck, that helps in taking pressure off the neck and relieving pain.

3. Adjust the chair so that computer screen is in front of you and at the eye level.

4. Avoid using awkward position, as in case of holding the phone with your neck, continuous texting on phone, long hour sitting etc; all these may lead to serious damage of the skeletal system.

Just by designing careful steps and stepping in correct postures can promote healthy working  environment.Correct working posture is one of them.

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