If you haven’t heard, we have all been moving to smart devices for almost every aspect of our lives. There are a lot of conveniences, but, some drawbacks.
Beyond how addictive a screen can be and how dependent some of us can become on them, we also find ourselves in some odd postures and positions when accessing them. Text Neck is a real thing and you see it all over the place. Just look at a young person who is diving into a mobile game or an adult keeping up on emails and texts, look at that forward tilt just like they need to dive into the screen.
There have already been studies on how this change in our lives is changing our bodies. A few of the obvious issues that arise are neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, and such. Some surprising complications would be arthritis, disc degeneration, jaw pain, radiculopathy, and even lowered lung capacity. I’m not here to scare you away from technology; we need to embrace our phones, tablets and computers if we are to keep up with work and education. But, a little knowledge goes a long way to prevent future pain.
Let’s talk posture and prevention. Positioning your devices so that they are where you need them rather than taking your head to where they are will help a lot. They are here to serve you, after all. A computer monitor should be positioned right in the center of your view in good posture. ‘But, Doc, I have a laptop!’ Been there, let’s just get you an inexpensive keyboard and mouse combo so you can set the laptop up to a good height and keep your arms down at a comfortable level. Then you can just disconnect when you need to take the computer on the go. Back in school, I would set the laptop up on a cardboard box on my cheap desk.
When it comes to tablets and phones, the best thing is to bring the device up to you rather than look down at it. Setting your elbows against your ribs in the front will help you prop up the screen to a better height for the neck. When you are going to be stationary, an armed mount can hold the screen right where you need it and you can read and view without having to hold anything. Personally, I have one of these attached to the bed post so that I can read on a tablet before bed. I know you’ve had your hands fall asleep holding a phone while reading like me. And this way if you drift off, the mount is keeping that device safe rather than being dropped.
For more ergonomic advice for the neck and any other joint system in the body, get in touch with us and let’s evaluate your needs.