What Texting Can Do To Your Spine

Limit Your Texting For A Better Health

Excessive use of anything is not good. When it comes to texting, it becomes more important to limit it as it is not good for your overall health. Your spine is at high risk of getting hurt due to constant texting. Your head weighs up to ten to twelve pounds and tilting it to look at your smartphone screen for various uses such as using Facebook, Sending a text or browsing can increase the force of gravitation on the skull. As your head tilts forward the forces experienced by your neck rushes up to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees, according to a study in the journal Surgical Technology International
4 full size bowling balls weigh 60 pounds, or 6 grocery bags full of food, or a whole 8 years old kid. Just imagine that is the amount of force we exert on our spine while texting.

What Do We Do?

A recent research by Nielsen has revealed that Americans use their smartphones for around one hour every day. Many people unintentionally damage their spines through tilting their head in an unhealthy manner to look into their smartphone screens. You have to train yourself to stare straight into your smartphone in order to avoid putting constant stress on your spine. The stress on your spine may lead to degeneration and create the possibility for surgeries. Following are a few tips on preventing neck pain while texting, learn them and have a pain-free texting- experience.

• Make sure that you keep your smartphone straight to your eyes as this will not compel you to tilt your head.
• Avoid constant texting, keep your mobile away for a few times and avoid any posture that forces your head to remain forward. Try to text while lying in bed as it is the best approach to avoid neck pain.
• Always stand straight and keep healthy posture, with shoulders pulled back, with the body placed in a natural position
• Arching and stretching helps. Arch your neck and upper back backward to relieve muscle pain.
• Keep your back and neck fit as then they will be able to deal with extra stress.

Stretch Excercises for the Neck

In order to maintain a blood flow and release tension, you will have to opt for shoulder and neck stretches. Below are few easy exercises which will help your neck and shoulder remain healthy and fit.

• Tuck your chin down towards your neck, then carefully raise it toward the ceiling.
• Rotate your head and it is to let it looking out over one shoulder, then turn slowly and repeat the same action in the other direction.
• Rotate your shoulders in a clockwise direction with holding your arms down by the sides of your body, and after that repeat the action in a counter clockwise direction.