Quickly send a Whats App message, check the emails or read messages – no matter where you are: in the subway, in the bus or at the coffee house. A smartphone has many advantages but also several disadvantages. Besides constant availability, electromagnetic pollution, LED screen – using a smartphone also might lead to painful impairments of your neck. According to the spinal surgeon Kenneth K. Hansraj, New York, we use our smartphone or tablet every day for four hours or longer – and often in an incorrect posture.
A neck impairment doesn’t arise from one day to another, it is a slow process. In the long run, a forward-leaning position is hard to take for our body. Some muscles are constantly overstretched, some constantly tense – the consequence: a dysbalance. The structure of our neck is very complex and narrow. If this structure is constantly overstrained due to a persistent malposition, painful consequences might arise. The more we lean our head forward the more intense the overload. Then, a multitude of the weight of the head rests on our shoulders. Often, head ache, pain in the neck, tingling in the arms and hands, wear on the intervertebral discs and breathing- and digestion-problems are the result of the unnatural posture.
It’s depending on the proper posture
Keep your head up! Only when you are sitting in an upright position and consciously take care you are able to get rid of a bad posture. Basically, it is better to bring the smartphone into eye level than bending your head over the phone. But, besides the proper posture, sufficient movement is important, too. When having to sit longer, do some small exercises in between and stretch yourself once in a while. Get some exercises from your physiotherapist, do fascia-training, get some massages and a warm relaxation bath – these things help to easy your tense muscles and ease the pain.
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Image source: @kybun
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