What does “text neck” looks like?

Read an article by Lily Dayton from the LA Times that talk about Teen Compulsive Texting Can Cause Neck Injury. Her source is Dean Fishman a chiropractor who sites a study in the General Surgical Technology our heads weighs 10 to 12 lbs. with good poster. I bet my big head is more? Leaning the head forward increases the weight on our spine. You've see them, teenagers texting, they can be texting two to four hours a day or more. And very often the normal angle they use is a 60° angle which put 60 pounds of pressure on the spine. 

Over time teenagers develop headaches and develop a condition call “text neck”. “Text neck” can also develop “pinched nerves, arthritis, bone spurs, and muscular deformations”, Fishman says.

How many kids as they get older are going to have to painful experiences because of texting? 

Think how it's going to look as one ages? How many people will always seem bent over in a permanent poster caused by texting. It won’t look very good.

There are things you can do the article says that might prevent some of these things. The most obvious to me is to limit your time texting. I see a lot of young people at events where they are not experiencing the event because they are looking down and texting. There are a lot of times we need to put the phones away and just experience life around us. It is possible that you may not agree with me about putting the phones away. You will when you get older.

One simple thing that you can do is that when you text hold your phone out in front of you which forces your head up and having your head up decreases the amount of weight your spine is trying to support from 60 pounds  to 10 to 12 pounds. Your neck is in a good position and you can avoid headaches, pinched nerves, arthritis and look a whole lot better when you get old gray.

I think phones are great. We can use them for information and entertainment. We can actually talk to people and many have the ability to do face-to-face communication. Texting can be a good way to communicate and stay in touch. But texting will never replace friends experiencing life together. Use the phone but don't let the phone use you. What does “text neck” looks like? 

By the way it's good to walk with your head up for the same reason. As we get older looking down actually makes us more likely to fall. With our head up we are better suited to keep our balance and prevent falls. Keep walking

Check out the article for more ideas what you can do if you are having pain or headaches from too much texting. It would be a good idea to see a doctor if you have symptoms of "text neck".

health@latimes.com