What is text neck?

By Cristina Perez Bermejo

Figure 1. The weight seen by the spine increases when flexing the neck at varying degrees

Have you heard the term text neck?

Text neck is defined as “repetitive stress injury or an overuse syndrome where a person has his/her head hung or flexed in a forward position and is bent down looking to his/her electronic device prolonged periods of time”2

Symptoms:

- Shoulder and neck pain: any changes in the normal position of the head: poor posture of the head, forward and downward looking can cause neck and shoulder pain.

- Headaches and dizziness: caused by neck tension.

- Spinal disc herniation: the flex in forward position pulls

the spine out of its proper alignment resulting in disc

damage.

Treatment:

Let your Mels Massage therapists tailor a treatment plan for you.

- Massage: helps to alleviate the pain and stiffness of the neck.

- Myofascial release: stretch to soft tissue in determinate

direction, force and duration to release tissue restrictions.

- Posture education: improve the posture to maintain the natural curves of the neck.

-Exercises and stretching: helps to eliminate the pain.

1.- Hansraj.Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine Caused by Posture

and Position of the Head . Neuro and Spine Surgery.Surgical Technology

International XXV

2.- Thiyagarajan, S., & Telegbal, S. V. (2015). Text Neck: Is it a New

Term for Physiotherapist?. Indian Journal of Medical & Health Sciences,

2(2), 119.