Is Your Smartphone Causing You 'Text Neck'?

Do you spend hours staring down at your smartphone? That may put you in the hospital, or at least in physical therapy.

New research published by Kenneth Hansraj, M.D., a spine surgeon in New York, notes the rise in a degenerative condition called “text neck.” It’s caused by the head tilting downward while using a smartphone. More than half of Americans own a smartphone, putting them at risk, and teens, who spend up to an additional 5,000 hours on their phones, are especially vulnerable, Hansraj says.

Image reprinted with permission of Kenneth Hansraj, M.D.

“Neck pain and headaches can be induced by your posture, and how we use our smartphones can wreak havoc on our necks,” says Linda Vernon Scholl, a physical therapist at the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center.

Scholl says smartphone use increases the time that people have a “forward head posture,” putting undue stress on the neck and shoulders. The human head weighs about 12 pounds, and as the head tilts farther forward, the weight of the head on the cervical spine increases, up to 60 pounds.

Serious side effects may result. Text neck can reduce lung capacity and lead to neurological issues, depression and heart disease.

Scholl offers these tips for improving posture and avoiding text neck:

• • Focus on proper alignment, with your head over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, and hips over ankles.  
  • Practice perfecting your posture against the wall. Try to reach the top of your head to the ceiling with the base of your skull against the wall.
  • Try the shoulder blade squeeze. While in the desired posture, hold a “chin tuck” position and bring the shoulder blades together, as if you are trying to put the shoulder blade in the opposite back pocket. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat two or three times after looking at your phone for more than 10 minutes.
  • Try the chest stretch, putting your arms in a doorway, pushing your chest forward to stretch your shoulders and chest. This works to lengthen the muscles being shortened by smartphone use.
  • Exercise regularly, incorporating weight training, and remember to use good posture.
  • Set reminders to check your posture, perhaps when you receive a phone call or read a new email.

“Working on posture might be a lifelong activity,” Scholl says. But the benefits are worth it!