A doctor warns being addicted to our phones could lead to migraine and blurred vision due to "text neck" syndrome.
What is it?
Bob Chatterjee, a surgeon at Harley Street Spine and Highgate Private Hospital explains “it is a repetitive stress injury or overuse of the neck,” according to a report by The Sun. This occurs when a person has “their head flexed in a forward position and is bent down looking at their mobile phone” for an extended period of time.
Your phone is not the only problem; an individual can get a text neck by using other electronic devices like laptops and iPads.
A 2015 Ofcom communication report revealed that two thirds of people use a smartphone for two hours daily. Using their phone can compromise their spine, Dr Chatterjee explained, as it often causes many people to suffer from chronic pain and headache.
"Prolonged poor posture will cause pain and create further symptoms for the sufferer including neurological disorders such as headaches and poor vision if their use of such devices has not improved," he told The Sun. Adding, "We tend to see patients at the point where the pain has become debilitating and forces the individual to refrain from certain daily activities such as work."
"Text neck" symptoms:
* Shoulders are stiff and tight
* Neck is sore
* Experience chronic headaches
* Back, arm, hands, wrist, elbows pain
* Numbness in the arms and shoulders
* Changes in the cervical spine, tendons, ligaments, musculature and bony segments can cause postural change in serious cases
Alternating how you use the phone, avoiding using your shoulder to hold the device, neck exercise, stretching are suggested tips by the Harley Street Spine clinic.
