Our life was digital pre-2020. Fast-forward and tech has seriously taken over. With more people keeping in touch with loved ones than ever before and working from home, text neck is experienced by most.
So, can you learn how to fix text neck? The answer is yes (thankfully)! But before we dive into our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck, let’s take a look at the definition.
What Is Text Neck?
Text neck, often called tech neck, is essentially an RSI (repetitive stress injury) caused by consistently looking down at your phone, laptop, or computer.
Our heads are pretty heavy. They can weigh anywhere from 10 to 13 pounds. And yes, our neck and spine are made to support this weight. However, necks can’t manage the additional strain experienced when you’re constantly bending forward.
The amount of extra pressure created may surprise you. For every inch, you bring your head forward (i.e., when looking down at your cellphone), an additional 10 pounds of weight is added to your neck. Maintaining this throughout the day results in pinched nerves, pain, strain, and in extreme cases, surgery.
But we’re here to help ensure you never get to the surgical stage. So, let’s now jump into our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck.
The 8 Innovative Ways to Prevent Text Neck
1.) Simply Lift Your Phone Higher
The easiest and quickest fix is to just lift your phone. Instead of hunching over to see the screen, raise your cell to eye level. That way, your back won’t be slumped, and there isn’t additional pressure applied to your neck.
Granted, you might look a little strange (wrongly so) when holding your phone up so high in public. But if we had to choose, we’d take a healthy, pain-free neck over appearing a tad odd while we walk through the city.
2.) Try a Neck Support
If you’re not looking to spend money, this one of our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck won’t help you. But if you’re willing to try anything to make it work, you’re in luck.
These days, neck support systems aren’t just for those who’ve suffered a catastrophic injury or undergone surgery. Instead, Back developed their trademarked “Neck Helper” to keep the neck aligned throughout the day.
It’s essentially a strap that goes around your neck with a tray that sits below your chin. The plinth stops you from lowering your head, ensuring your neck remains in its rightful position, eliminating text neck syndrome.
3.) Practice Good Posture (There’s Even an App For It)
Good posture seems to be the recommended cure for everything. And it’s certainly one of our favorite 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck.
Despite what you may believe, the general public does not have good posture. In our digital world, it’s something all of us need to practice conciously.
These tips will help combat slouching:
- Use a towel or blanket — If you sit on a chair, roll up a towel and put it behind your lower back. The towel supports your lumbar and guides your body naturally into its rightful position.
- Imagine a string — Whenever you sit down to use your phone, imagine somebody is standing behind you and pulling a string from the top of your head like a puppet. The visualization will help you sit straighter, improving your posture.
4.) Stretch
Stretching is perhaps the most important one on our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck list. Proper prevention starts with strengthening and lengthening the neck muscles, which the following stretches can help you with:
- Downward facing dog — Start on all fours. Tuck your toes and lift your hips. Reach your heels toward the ground and drop your head, lengthening the neck. Take three deep breaths and release.
- Deep nod — Sit at your desk and relax your shoulders. With your mouth closed, look up to the ceiling. Stop and relax your jaw, opening your mouth. Bring your head further back. Remain there and close your jaw. You’ll feel a stretch in the neck.
5.) Try Self-Massage or Massage Devices
Simple reaching your hands toward the back of your neck and rubbing can be an excellent release of tension. But if you are super committed to the 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck, you should try a massage device.
Usually, these devices sit around your chair’s headrest or strap onto your neck and shoulders. From there, the components (usually balls) inside the massage will vibrate and roll around, stimulating the muscles. After a few minutes, you’ll notice the tension and pain leaving your neck.
6.) Make The Most of Siri
Siri is more than just a joke machine (yep, we know it’s boring but trust us). If you give it a chance, you can let Siri do all the typing, and you won’t have to strain your neck.
Using this one of our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck stops you from looking down at your cellphone altogether.
7.) Visit a Chiropractor
Although they can appear as mere experts of the lower and upper back, chiropractors can help prevent text neck. They won’t necessarily tell you to stop texting. Going cold turkey is not easy.
Chiropractors can provide entrainments to help your neck unwind tension that it has built over time through consistent texting. You can learn more about what chiropractors do by clicking here. Their primary goal is to have you feeling good as you traverse the world.
8.) Reduce Text Time
The final one of our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck is to reduce your screen time. We’re not saying stop altogether. After all, that’s pretty impossible. But the average under 30-year-old sends about 3,000 texts per month, so reducing this amount will stop strain and tension building.
Not to mention you’ll become more present with those around you!
The Bottom Line: A Healthy Neck
There you have it! Using our 8 innovative ways to prevent text neck, you’ll benefit from a tension-free, pain-free upper back and neck. Trust us; you’ll be the envy of all your neck-bent friends! Maybe you could share our text neck exercises to help them out?