Our world is becoming more and more centered around technology, so it is more important to understand that this constant use can cause chronic neck pain. But it is also important to know that there are joint pain treatments available to you to keep your pain under control so that you don’t have to live a life of pain.
What’s TEXT neck?
Text neck is often referred to as tech neck. When you are using different types of technology like a phone or computer your neck is not in an upright position. It is strained and leaned forward.
This position puts a lot of weight on your neck. Did you know that the average head weighs 10-12 pounds? But with the position of your head looking down at various forms of technology, you are actually putting 50 to 60 pounds of pressure on your cervical spine.
Your neck isn’t made to withstand that amount of pressure long-term. But, most people spend a long time in this position. This leads to a lot of strain and stress on the muscles and tendons in your neck, and even larger issues with the actual structures within your neck.
What are the Symptoms of Text Neck?
If you are spending a lot of time on your phone, computer or tablet and start to experience these types of symptoms you may be experiencing text neck and require joint pain treatment:
- Discomfort, stiffness, or tightness in your lower neck, shoulders, and upper back
- Sharp, stabbing pain that is localized in one spot
- Headaches
- Reduced mobility in the neck, upper back, and shoulders
- Pain when tilting the head forward and looking down to utilize technology
- Nerve pain with tingling and/or numbness in the arms and hands
- Posture problems
Intractable Headaches/Migraines And Text Neck
Many times people who suffer from headaches don’t find relief with standard and/or aggressive treatment modalities. These are referred to as intractable headaches or migraines. The most common types of intractable headaches include chronic daily headaches from transformed migraines, medication overuse headaches, atlantoaxial/atlanto-occipital dysfunction, benign intracranial hypertension, and post-traumatic or post-concussional headaches. A new persistent daily headache, which arises suddenly after a viral infection, is particularly disabling and difficult to treat.
When people suffer from text neck they often suffer from headaches and/or migraines. This is because when your spine and neck are out of alignment or feeling strain, it can put a lot of pressure on the spinal nerves that go back into the head, causing headaches.
Treatments for migraines include:
- Ketamine Therapy
- Infusions
- BrainMapping
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Mind/Body
What Can You Do About Text Neck?
The obvious thought when thinking about how to get better from something associated with technology would be to stop using technology, however, we know that everyone is using it for a reason. So, we aren’t going to even pretend like that would be an option. But there are some other great options for joint pain treatment.
Adjust Your Screen
Technology is here to stay. However, you can use it better! Try moving your screen up closer to eye level so that you aren’t leaning over to see your screen and straining those muscles and ligaments in your neck.
Exercise
There are some great exercises for you to do throughout the day to give your neck a rest from the constant pressure of staring at a screen. Try things like tucking your chin inward and rolling your shoulder blades backward. Or you can squeeze your shoulder blades together to over-exaggerate your posture.
Take Breaks
Sitting at a desk staring at a screen all day without breaks isn’t good for your neck and it isn’t good for any part of your spine. Make a point to set yourself reminders to get up and walk around for a short amount of time to give your neck, and your entire body a small tech break. Or, you can even set reminders to just change positions of how you are sitting. Sitting in the same position for long periods can cause back pain alongside your neck pain. Your entire body will thank you for those reminders!
Still Feeling The Pain of Text Neck-We Can Help!
Sometimes, even with adjusting your posture and doing the best you can during the day, your neck pain just doesn’t go away. Neck pain can be pretty persistent. But you can still find relief with other forms of joint pain treatment.
We offer a variety of treatment options for neck pain including medial branch block facet injections, medial branch block facet injections, and epidural steroid injections Dallas.
At the Arthritis Relief Institute, we are here to help you find a treatment plan that works best for your specific type of pain. Whether it is just neck pain due to text neck, or you are experiencing other types of pain as well. We can work with you to develop a pain management plan that suits your exact needs.
If you are experiencing any type of pain, call us today at (214) 826-8000 or visit our contact page to see how we can help you live a more pain-free life.