These days, it seems like every single person has a smart phone or tablet. Whether it’s an iPhone, Android, or anything in between, people of all ages have the digital world in the palm of their hands. Unfortunately, this spike in smart phone usage has also led to a spike in neck pain, muscle tenderness, and other musculoskeletal problems. We have even reached the point that the term “text neck” has been coined to describe this problem! Mechanical problems such as text neck require mechanical solutions, and here at the Springfield Wellness Center, we have multiple services that can provide relief and improve your function:
1) Chiropractic care – When the neck is constantly flexed forward to look down at a screen, it places a great amount of stress on the ligaments in the back of the neck. These can become painful and can affect the motion of the adjacent spinal joints. Muscle tension can also restrict these joints from moving properly. A chiropractic adjustment restores motion to these joints and allows the nerves to properly communicate to the muscles they control.
2) Massage Therapy – Muscle tension that develops can be very uncomfortable, and over time it can lead to even more bothersome problems such as tension headaches. Receiving a massage is an excellent way to promote muscle relaxation and stress reduction, making you feel great overall.
3) Corrective Exercise - Constantly looking down at devices over a long period of time can actually create muscle imbalance in the neck and shoulders area. The muscles on the back of the neck become stretched out and weakened, and the muscles in front of the neck become too tight. At our functional fitness center, we seek to restore balance by stretching muscles that are too tight and strengthening muscles that are too weak.
These three services are capable of producing positive results on their own, but maximum benefit is usually obtained when they are combined together. As part of our philosophy to promote better movement, these three services provide the best possible chance to improve mobility, strength, and posture, which all decrease with prolonged device use. If using a devices is unavoidable, such as for work or school, then do your best to take frequent breaks to get up and move around. Your neck will thank you for it!