Nerve Impingement & Texting

calliebear19994
Dec 3, 2021
3 min read

Have you felt it yet? You know the minor burn in the back of your shoulders, a little discomfort in your neck, pressure all across the back of your neck, shoulders, and chest? Any upper back, neck, and shoulder discomfort that has been on again off again? These symptoms are common in a condition globally known as "text neck" and I just found out that I have to undergo treatment to alleviate the pain while attempting to correct my texting habits that developed into some major physical issues.

As the use of technology increases, so do the reported cases of poor posture, neck, and back issues directly related to our phone use.

When you look at your phone, are you looking down or up? Most of us look down. That contributes to a condition dubbed “tech neck or text neck”. This movement, minute after minute and day after day causes what is defined as- “a repetitive stress injury or overuse syndrome in the neck caused by prolonged use of mobile devices with the head bend down and not moving.” Although this is commonly linked to texting and mobile phone usage, other activities such as working, and gaming were linked to be culprits that cause the same issues.

Constantly looking down and hunching in a non-natural position for so long often results in cervical discomfort, shoulder pain, headaches and thoracic hypokyphosis.

We literally have to use our phones daily so then what would be an effective way to correct and further prevent this from continuing? Well, awareness is the first step to understand this movement is causing your body stress. Did you know that your head weighs between 10-12 pounds? That weight is meant to be supported vertically on top of your neck and shoulders, however, when you are constantly leaning forward (at a 45–60-degree angle), that forced weight is now being held on the neck improperly, likewise, the muscles engaged when you are learning forward are not meant to hold this weight for an extended period.

How the pain starts to progress:

The pain starts out slow and may be shrugged off as nothing. It starts out as

• Mild ache in the neck and/or upper back

• Sharp pain or stiffness in the neck

Typically treated with a combination of:

• Limiting the amount of time on devices (use for necessary tasks only)

• Stay vigilant about posture by holding device closer to eye level

• Regularly stretch and engage areas of the neck, chest, and upper back

6 Chiropractor-Approved Exercises to Fight Text Neck

If not addressed, the continued forward head posture and hunched shoulders may worsen over time, which leads to more pain and reduced mobility in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. In some cases, mine included, the force will lead to exacerbated and accelerated degenerative conditions in the cervical spine such as: cervical degenerative disc disease and cervical osteoarthritis.

I recently had to have my neck checked out by a chiropractor (blog on that experience coming soon) to address the pain I was suffering from. My x-rays identified areas of nerve impingement, revealing dislocation and subluxations of the vertebrae. Below I have included an overview of my symptoms and the information I received from my Chiropractor.

Major complaint:

• Neck/upper thoracic pain and stiffness

• Mid back pain and stiffness

• Low back pain with stiffness

• Left S/I and hip pain

Underlying chiropractic trouble:

• Cervical hypolordosis

• Phase 2 degenerative disk disease in cervical spine

• Lumbar muscle spasm with pain

Recommended treatment prognosis:

• Correct vertebral subluxation to remove nerve interference

• Stabilize and strengthen injured spinal areas