Photo courtesy of Karolina Grabowska / Pexels
We live in amazing times with amazing technology! Nearly anyone in America can access information on any subject at any time. Some of us may remember a place called the library, and a vastly different way of accessing information.
However, modern technology also produces modern ailments. And in this case, that technology is turning an entire generation into hunchbacks.
Our obsession and reliance on technology is quickly turning into addiction. In fact, it’s creating new words like nomophobia. Nomophobia is the irrational fear of being without your mobile phone or being unable to use it for some reason, such as no signal or a dead battery.
Another new colloquially used word is text neck (or tech neck). It’s the result of your head resting at an abnormal angle for a prolonged period, like what happens when we use computers, tablets, video games and—most commonly—cellphones.
The average child receives their first cellphone at 10 years old, according to a 2016 study. At that age, they are still growing and developing, which can compound the problem.
For every inch of forward head posture (FHP), your spine experiences an additional 10 pounds of pressure. The average person looks down at their phone at a 60-degree angle, which results in 60 pounds of pressure on their spine!
In the short term, FHP can cause neck pain, numbness in the arms and hands, pinched nerves, improper breathing, and deteriorating mood and emotional stability.
In the long term, FHP can contribute to fibromyalgia, early arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ, asthma, heart disease, and eventually the degeneration of your cervical spine—even organ failure.
Neurosurgeons refer to the curve of your cervical spine as the arc of life. Your spinal bones help protect your brain stem and spinal nerves, which affect every single function and organ in your body. A hunched-over or slouching posture compresses your abdominal organs, a restriction that negatively affects heart, digestive and bowel functions.
According to University of California’s Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Rene Caillet, FHP pulls the spine out of alignment, which can result in a 30 percent loss of vital lung capacity. Potentially most troublesome, though, is the negative impact on brain health.
Your posture affects your mood and brain function, as in feelings of stress, memory and even behavior. And there’s an inverse relationship as well: one in which depression contributes to worsening posture. This, of course, creates more emotional imbalance.
A recent study conducted in Germany supports the premise that posture can negatively affect memory and contribute to an increase of negative thinking. In the study, researchers discovered that a sitting, slouched position resulted in the recall of mostly negative words, while those with good sitting posture showed no bias in word recall.
Another study, conducted in 2015, produced even more shocking results. The upright participants in the study demonstrated better self-esteem, improved mood and less fear, while those participants instructed to slump over experienced an increase in negative emotions, sadness and feelings of stress.
Your goal is to correct FHP and increase your cervical curve. And this can be done in several ways. Learning better habits is the first step. That alone may reverse mild postural distortion. However, if you have had your head in your cellphone for much of the last decade, you may require a bit of help.
If you are interested in learning more, give us a call for a free consultation with Dr. Josh.
