| | August 20189Your core muscles usually do not get enough exercise during normal daily activities, so you need to do specific exercises to target these musclesDr. Shreyash Gajjartext neck can be similar to occupa-tional overuse syndrome or repetitive stress/strain injury.The most common presentation of Text Neck is neck pain, stiffness and soreness. The main symptoms include:· Stiff Neck: Soreness and diffi-culty in moving the neck is usually present when trying to move the neck after long usages.· Pain: It can be localized to one spot or may be diffused over an area, usually lower part of the neck. Can be described as dull aching or can also be sharp or stabbing in extreme cases.· Radiating Pain: There can often be radiation of pain into the shoulders and arms.· Muscular Weakness: Shoul-ders muscles namely, trapezius, rhomboids and shoulder external ro-tators are often weak.· Headache: Sub-occipital mus-cle tightness can lead to tension type headaches.In addition to these common symptoms there can also be flatten-ing of thoracic kyphosis, early onset arthritis, spinal degeneration, disc compression, muscle weakness, loss of lung capacity.Management: Prevention is the key when it comes to Text Neck. Fol-lowing suggestions should be kept in mind while using Smartphone or oth-er hand held devices.1. Avoid excessive usage and take frequent breaks. For example, set a timer or alarm that reminds you to get-up and walk around every 20-30 minutes.2. Avoid prolonged static postures.3. Position the device such that it reduces stresses both on the head/neck and the upper extremities. If you work in an office, make sure your screen is setup so that when you look at it you are looking forward, with your head positioned squarely in line with your shoulders and spine.4. Avoid high repetitions of movements such as prolonged typing or swiping.5. Avoid holding large or heavy devices in one hand for long duration.The bottom line is to avoid looking down with your head bent forward for extended periods throughout the day. Spend a whole day being mindful of your posture--is your head bent forward when you drive? When you watch TV? Any prolonged period when your head is looking down is a time when you are putting excessive strain on your neck.Rehabilitation is found to be very effective in treating the stress injury resulting from Text Neck. Rehabilitation can be designed as a 2-4 week program starting with soft tissue mobilization, Grade-1 and 2 joint mobilizations, active and passive stretches of tight muscles and progressing to muscle strengthening, posture retraining and home exercise program. Many people don't know this, but you need to have strong core muscles--the abdominal and lower back muscles--to support your upper body, including your neck. Your core muscles usually do not get enough exercise during normal daily activities, so you need to do specific exercises to target these muscles. You also need strong and flexible muscles in the neck to minimize strain on your cervical spine and help support the weight of your head. Again, your neck will not get sufficient stretching and strengthening during normal daily activities. So, it is best to learn specific neck exercises with the help of a health professional.In acute cases, pain relief is the main goal. It can be achieved by regular neck movements such as rotations & side bending, trapezius & levator stretches, chin tuck exercises, ice/heat packs, and massage. In extreme chronic cases pain medication, injection into the facet joint or trigger point or acupuncture can be done.
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