We live in an age where almost every person (young and older) has a computer and a smartphone. On the average American spends 2.7 hours per day communicating and talking texting on their cell phone. U.S. smart phone owners aged 18 to 24 send 2,022 texts per month on average 67 texts on a daily basis and receive another 1,831. Young Americans send almost ten times as many texts as Americans over 55. The number of texts being sent is on the rise, especially among teenagers age 13 to 17. The average teenager now sends 3,339 texts per month. Handheld Communication is such a regular aspect of our life that everyone does it so many times today that it has become a Global epidemic especially within our young teenagers.

Text Neck Syndrome is rapidly becoming a health condition where repeated stress injury occurs to the body with excessive use of handheld devices and texting. This forward head down posture changes all cervical curve putting additional stress and pressure on the upper back upper back muscles. This type of smartphone is a necessary evil and it is causing headaches, stiffness, neck pain and long-term complications that we are beginning to understand. Repetitive abnormal posture causes in the supporting spine, reversing the spinal C-shaped curvature, stretching ligaments and tendons, paraspinal muscles to tighten, compressing nerve roots causing numbness in the hands and leading daily headaches. There are many adults that commonly have these symptoms, but with Text Neck syndrome, young teenagers and adolescents are complaining of these problems. Long term Complications are degeneration, disc herniation, muscle damage, nerve pressure, migraine headaches and early onset of arthritis of the spine. Some changes may become permanent but you may have the ability to change the posture in your son or daughter and even yourself to prevent additional long-term changes, and chronic pain experience.

As a Chiropractor for 22 years, I have found that with spinal adjustments, massage, range of motion stretching, posture exercises, and additional posture ergonomics (limit texting), the pain will decrease, range of motion increases preventing long-term injury if controlled texting is a continued aspect of our advancing technology lifestyle.