Are You Suffering from Smartphone Slump?

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

You see them every day, walking with head down, oblivious to the world around them.  Or you spy them sitting in their cars at stoplights leaning forward as they frantically try to compose themselves before the light changes.  I’m not talking about road rage here.  I’m talking about texting.  While gen xers are particularly prone to partake in this practice on a nearly manic level, I have seen my fair share of baby boomers who have adopted what I have come to refer to as the Smartphone Slump.

While some of the habits of this practice are obvious, others are not. A spin-off of a topic I covered in an earlier blog that detailed the occupational hazard that every man, woman and child is subjected to as we surf the web.

“If you spend a significant portion of your day staring at a computer screen, this is known to lead to forward head and shoulder posture which can cause pinched nerves and degenerative disc disease.  If your monitor sits flat atop your desk, this necessitates that you lean your head forward to read the screen.  Doing this day in and day out sets up a domino effect of sorts caused in part by the pull of gravity on your head.    This head down posture puts strain on the vertebrae of the lower neck, which in turn causes the muscles of the upper back to work overtime in order to compensate.  Over time, the lower cervical vertebrae may slide forward, further curving the spine until sufferers of this syndrome begin to suffer neck pain, tingling or loss o

f feeling in the fingers and persistent muscle ache as the muscles and tendons become tight.” 

http://eliminatepainnow.blogspot.com/2013/06/occupational-hazards-may-be-at-roof-of.html

Smartphone Slump can also be the initiator for head forward posture, which is an unhealthy forward curvature of the neck and shoulders that makes those afflicted seem far older than their age.  Worse still, if left unchecked, this self-inflicted condition can result in much more than poor posture.  Over time everything from loss of balance to nerve damage.  Some sufferers get to the point where it is difficult to keep their chins from coming to rest on their chests.  As a result, everything from neck pain to a loss of mobility can result.  This makes everyday tasks like walking and driving not only arduous, but hazardous.

To determine if you have Smartphone Slump do the following:

1.      Put down the phone.

2.      Stand with your back flat against the wall.

3.      Note whether the back of your head is touching the wall.

If your head does not touch the wall without forcing it to do so you most definitely have Smartphone Slump.  That is the bad news.  Over time your neck muscles have weakened from repeatedly maintaining a head down posture such as that necessary to text.  (People with head forward posture find it extremely difficult if not painful to straighten their neck so that the back of the head touches the wall.) 

The good news is that this is an easily treatable condition.  If you suspect that you or any one you know suffers from this condition, tell them to consult a chiropractor right away.  Not only can a chiropractor correct this problem, they can also show sufferers a number of exercises that are designed to alleviate the muscle strain that this condition can cause before it leads to more serious problems down the road.

There are also a number of exercises that you can perform for a few minutes every day that can help stretch the muscles that become overworked and tight as a result of prolonged periods slumped either in front of a desk or a smartphone.  Below are several that can help correct the situation if done regularly.

  

Corner Stretch

A basic exercise that is important for stretching the chest and shoulder muscles is the corner stretch. It is performed in the corner of a room.

This neck stretch is done as follows:

·         Patients stand approximately two feet back from the corner, facing into the corner.

·         Feet should be together.

·         Forearms are placed on each wall, and elbows are a little below shoulder height (Figure 1).

·         Lean in as far as possible without pain. Patients will feel a stretch in the front of the shoulders and chest (Figure 2).

·         Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds to a minute.

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/neck-stretches

The Slouch Overcorrect Procedure

 This exercise helps you find your correct sitting posture. 

      1.   Slouch completely

·           2.   Sit up and accentuate your lumbar lordosis as far as possible. (Hold this posture for a few seconds.)

·          3 Release the strain.

http://www.drsarasolomon.com/oxygen-magazine-blog-if-you-are-slouched-in-your-chair-then-sit-up-straight-and-read-this-by-dr-sara-solomon/

While we are all forced to deal with the demands of an ever more wired world, remember that when it comes to your health, the human body is decidedly old school.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://chiropractic-jacksonville-fl.com and http://endyourpain.org who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.