Do you have a turtle neck?

Do you have a turtle neck? Sea turtles can reach their necks out to amazing lengths but us mere humans should not be able to do that.

Love or hate technology most of us use it for hours per day. The phone is the most common. Think about what your body looks like while you are looking at your phone. Better yet look in a mirror.

The vain part you should be thinking; man I don’t want to look like that. But there are bigger issues at stake here. Your head weighs between 10-12 pounds under normal conditions. The muscle & tendons in the neck are strong enough to handle this weight. When you head goes forward “off the center” of your body the weight the muscles and tendons now feels in this different position can feel up to 60 pounds. Even a slightly improper angle it can feel more than twice what it should.

The position of texting therefore puts significant excess stress on your spine. Over time, this may deteriorate the back and neck muscles to the point of pain and discomfort.”  It is not surprising that teens and adults are complaining about headaches.

What can you do about it? Ergonomics is a buzz word we have heard for years. While we can make an effort to put the technology down lets be realistic that won’t happen. Concentrating on correct posture can help, mitigate stress, exercise can also help. Ultimately treatment form a chiropractor is key.

Regular adjustments will restore your head to the proper position while at rest improving your natural posture, release stress in affected muscles and tendons and prevent headaches and other issues.   So this winter the only turtle neck you should have will be in your closet.