How many times do you look down at your phone in a day? Probably quite a lot! Let’s explore the impact this might be having on your spinal health, and how you can prevent negative side effects and promote better health overall.
The impact
- Bending the neck forward adds pressure to your spine. Your body is designed so that your neck holds up your head up with your eyes straight ahead. When you bend your head forward, gravity increases the weight of your head, and therefore increases the pressure on your spine
- Over time this position will cause over-stretching in the muscles behind your neck, and shortening of the muscles in the front, causing and increasing neck strain
- A lot of people hold tension in their neck and shoulders, so this only adds to any neck pain
- This position also promotes poor posture, and overtime you’ll be more likely to resume this position and continue the cycle
Prevention and promotion
- Keep your devices eye level when you can (see our post on seated posture on April 12)
- If you really need to look down to use your phone keep this interaction as short as possible