THUNDER BAY – Chiropractors are raising concerns on the amount of pressure people are placing on their spine as the weight could cause a lifetime of serious pain.
According to Ontario Chiropractic Association, the human head weighs about 12 pounds, but when the neck bends over the weight increases drastically.
A 15-degree head tilt adds up to about 27 pounds of pressure on the spine, and with the 3.2 hours a day people spent staring down at a screen the added pressure can lead to serious pain.
“The end result is a lot of stress and strain on the upper back, head, neck and shoulder area,” said Ontario Chiropractic spokesperson and chiropractor Kristina Peterson on Tuesday at the Northwoods Health Centre.
“It comes from that posture we all get into when we are on our mobile devices, when our heads are bent forward we are kind of rounded and hunched forward.”
Peterson added that it’s gotten to the point where we have this phenomenon that’s occurring and specialists have begun calling it Text Neck.
Long term use of adding constant pressure on the spine can result in headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain and even pain in the hands.
It’s important to understand over a long period of time the impact is going to be fairly significant.
Peterson said health professionals are trying to educate people on what they can do to not get in trouble over days and days of use on their mobile devices.
There are lots of exercises that can be done to avoid putting pressure on the spine.
“We are encouraging people to put their mobile devices down whenever they can, get it out of your hands, get your head out of that position and maintain better posture,” Peterson said.
“Take a little break from using the device, which is kind of common sense but sometimes you need a little reminder.”
In addition to taking a break there’s another rule called the 20-20 rule, after 20 minutes of using your devices, take a break, look ahead approximately 20 feet and give your eyes a rest for 20 seconds.
Peterson said staring at your device is not only hard on your neck, but it can cause some strain on eyes as well.
Aside from taking a break, and giving your eyes a rest, it’s often a good idea to change your position.
“We are telling people have 30 minutes to stop everything, and go for a little walk, do some stretching and get out of the position you’ve been in and give your whole body a break,” she said.
“Our bodies accommodate well to change, they don’t like staying in one position for long periods of time whether that’s your back or your neck.”
Peterson said the biggest thing to remember is to take small incremental changes as they can make a big difference especially over a day or a week of using a mobile device.
The Canadian Chiropractic Association put out a series of videos entitled Straighten Up Canada, which are a series of stretches that can be done quickly helping people get moving and reminding people to stay healthy and active as best as they can.
“We are trying to educate people, so they don’t get in harm’s way and have to do something,” Peterson said.
“We want to try and help them practice good habits before they have trouble.”
