Text Neck | Upper Crossed Syndrome | Weekly Wakeup
Text Neck; Why it's important? Who cares if you look down when you walk or talk or don't look people in the eye - Right?
More importantly, it is called 'Upper crossed syndrome' and as most of my patients know, I have a thing for talking about very weird things like embryology, physiology, and anthropology. So, i'll keep this one short, the symptoms of upper crossed syndrome can include shoulder pain, upper back pain, neck pain, rounded shoulders and a hunched posture, and headaches.
If you have a desk job, go to school, and/or spend lots of time in front of the computer or TV every day, then the answer is statistically YES you might have this thing called 'Text Neck'. In fact, the two most common problems I’ve encountered in my practice are low back pain and headaches, both of these items can be caused by text neck / Upper Crossed Syndrome. It is essential to be aware of compensation patterns within this system as it can often lead to injuries.
Do you have good posture?
A couple of things to consider:
- Does your chin protrude forward in the mirror if you look at yourself in pictures?
- Do you have a problem looking up?
- Do you have headaches at the end of the day and notice that you spend more than 1 hour a day on your phone?
- Have you ever looked at your phone usage and realized you spend way too much time on it?
Can you fix it without chiropractic care?
You might want to consider the basics, proper exercise and stretching. One of the best combination workout regiments is the downward facing dog. It works on all the things you want it too and its very easy. If you have tight hamstrings we will talk about that later, however just getting to work on this part of the spine, includes the shoulder muscles especially the posterior and serratus muscles within the shoulder complex that are very important for the health of your shoulders and your neck.
If you try to modify this posture to add a little tension in the spine in a positive direction you may want to consider tucking your chin in and lifting your head almost 'retracting' your spine back and up. In this posture you will feel the tension set by hours of your text neck behavior and honestly it's a great workout!
Can chiropractic care help?
100%. Just look at the studies listed below:
CONCLUSION:
This study demonstrates that a single cervical manipulation is capable of producing immediate and short-term benefits for
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 Jun;39(5):319-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 May 12.
CONCLUSION:
Sensorimotor function and multisensory integration associated with fall risk and the physical component of quality of life improved in older adults receiving chiropractic care compared with control.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 May;39(4):267-78. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.003. Epub 2016 Apr 2
CONCLUSION:
In this study, the physical examination findings between preadolescents with neck pain and/or headaches and those who were symptom free differed significantly in one of the parameters measured. Cervical joint dysfunction was a significant finding among those preadolescents complaining of neck pain and/or headache as compared to those who did not.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2009 Oct;32(8):625-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.08.025.