£55 New Patient Consultation (Usually £92)
Have you heard the term Smartphone Syndrome? How about Text Neck? Some of you reading this will be using a handheld phone or tablet to do so. Stop and think, how are you holding it, are you just like one of the pictures above?
Text Neck is an overuse syndrome more commonly known as a repetitive stress injury (RSI). By holding your head in a forward and downward position for extended periods of time, you are causing the body’s joints to not work in the way they were designed. When we hold our head in this position, excessive amounts of tension compress the joints in our neck and cause the muscles to do a job they were not designed to do for long periods.
Technology has become a lot smaller and more powerful than it once was, to give you some perspective the phones we carry today are 120 million times more powerful than the spacecraft technology that took us to the moon in 1971. We now stream TV, play games, connect with friends as well as look for our new relationships online. In 2017 a ComScore study revealed we are now spending on average of 3 hours a day on our smartphones, that’s 21hours a week! NEARLY a whole day each week!
Each and every one of our necks is designed for a specific function, one joint cannot move without the one above and below moving as well. By placing our necks in just 15 degrees of forward flexion the pressure on the Spine is 2.5X higher, (27Lbs or 12.2KG), that’s the same as 12 bags of sugar or the UK average weight of a 2year old – no more shoulder rides for you!
At Epoch it’s our job to ensure your spine is in alignment, each adjustment we make will support corrective joint movement. However, it’s not just the adjustments, our habits are a huge factor so here are some top tips
1. Time your social media. A 20-minute timer is all it takes. After 20-minutes you need to take a break not only for your posture but arguably one of the most important senses we have, you are using them now to read this!!
2. Fold your arms and raise your head up, whether you are on a mobile, tablet or reading a good book, look at the above image, 15 degrees makes such a huge difference.
3. Tell your loved ones, sharing this information could transform their health. Plus, they can tell you off when they catch you doing it.
Just remember your structure dictate’s function……………better structure better function of your entire body.
With Love
John
References:
2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/baby-weight-and-height/
