Text neck, also known as turtle neck posture or the anterior head syndrome, occurs as a result of texting on handheld devices for a prolonged period of time.
The dangers of text neck are numerous as it affects the larger part of the younger generation. Frustrating symptoms such as soreness in the neck area, headache, muscular weakness, etc occur as a result of the text neck syndrome.
Text neck is coined from the posture adopted by individuals when working on handheld devices. US chiropractor, Dr. DL Fishman coined this term to describe the stress injury continuously inflicted on the neck and spinal cord, due to excessive use of handheld mobile devices.
The damage caused by an untreated text neck case is terribly similar to the repetitive stress or strain injury and the occupational overuse syndrome.
Because text neck occurs as a result of stress on the spinal cord which results in poor spinal health, chiropractic care is a suitable option.
Chiropractic care alleviates soreness caused by text neck. This is done with the aid of gentle adjustments that corrects posture and ensures proper alignments of the parts affected; i.e head, neck, and spine. It also works well to relieve muscle stiffness
Symptoms of Text Neck
Placing your head in a forward position to use a smartphone directly affects your spinal cord. This in turn places 27 pounds of muscle force on your neck.
Repeatedly placing your head in the forward position, increases the number of pounds placed directly on your neck.
The dangers associated with text neck appear with frustrating symptoms. These symptoms result in fatigue, pain in the upper part of the neck, shoulder area and a host of other text neck related symptoms.
These symptoms include the following:
- Stiff neck
The stiff neck occurs as a result of trying to move your neck after being placed in a dormant position. This in turn causes soreness and difficulty in moving the neck.
- Headache
Tightness in the muscles of your neck affect your spinal cord. This causes a soreness in the suboccipital muscle which leads to tension type headaches. Tension type headaches result in loss of energy and cause weak stamina.
- Muscle weakness
Weakness in the shoulder muscles known as shoulder external rotators and trapezius rhomboids occurs. This happens after an extensive number of time is spent on operating hand held mobile phones.
- Radiating pain
Continuously placing your head in a forward bent position releases toxins that cause pain. A radiating pain is often felt around the shoulders and arms.
- Pinched nerves
An equally painful symptom of a text neck is pinched nerves. When your head is placed in the forward bent position, the nerves along your neck and upper back get a pinching sensation that spreads with continuous usage.
Pinched nerves result in painful headaches, high blood pressure, vision problems, thyroid conditions, fatigue and a lot of other health related issues.
How to prevent text neck
Awareness campaigns on the dangers of text neck are raised constantly around the world. An average individual spends more than two to five hours a day on their mobile phones. This implies that you spend 730 to 1,460 hours a year with your head bent in an unnatural position.
The activities individuals engage in on their phones include checking text messages, chatting, reading, sending emails and a whole lot of other activities.
Prevention of text neck can be achieved through awareness, as there are preventive measures already put in place to avoid text neck. Here are a few helpful measures to reduce the rate of text neck:
1. Elevate Your Phone
Placing your phone at an elevated position reduces the rate at which you bend your neck. Positioning your neck at a forward posture increases the pressure placed on your neck.
Elevating your phone to your eye level not only saves you the stress of straining your eyes, it equally reduces the risk of you getting text neck symptoms.
2. Move
This is a very simple and straightforward preventive measure. You should ensure you stand up and move around for at least ten (10) minutes for every hour you spend on your phone.
An average human spends more than half of his or her life sitting, with heads bent forward. This in turn causes a whole lot of health related problems on its own. So to avoid such, ensure you reduce the rate at which you sit and sit with your head bent.
3. See A Chiropractor
It is advisable for people, especially adults and teenagers who spend most of their day on their smartphones, to schedule appointments with a certified chiropractor.
Chiropractors help you gently move the vertebrae in your neck (cervical spine) to its correct position. The vertebrae moves as a result of you constantly placing your head downwards.

Chiropractic Care For Text Neck
Chiropractic adjustments continue to work wonders for individuals suffering from text neck symptoms, severe injuries and excessive body pains.
Chiropractors are trained health professionals who specify in the treatment of misalignments along the spine and other related injuries. Since text neck causes discomfort along the vertebrae in the neck, it is only natural to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor.
The human head weighs between 10 to 12 pounds, so the further you bend your head, the more pressure you place on your neck and upper back. Chiropractic care for the text neck involves the correction of the bad posture acquired as a result of the weight placed on your neck and spinal cord.
The inclusion of chiropractic care for the treatment of text neck is by far a world class solution. Chiropractic adjustment sessions reverse neck problems caused by text neck and align misaligned bones in the upper back of your neck area and your vertebrae.
Chiropractic care offers relief for text neck pain. It also restores full mobility, eases soreness in the upper back of your neck, your shoulder blades and properly aligns the misaligned spine which takes pressure off of your spinal cord.
Scheduling an appointment with a chiropractor is one sure way to avoid text neck and the pains that come with it. Chiropractic care offers comfort and a permanent remedy for text neck and the problems associated with it.