Text Neck is a relatively new syndrome brought about by people spending too much time with their head and shoulders bent forward staring down at screens such as smart phones or tablets. Texting in a forward head posture puts excessive stress and strain on the muscles and ligaments behind the neck which are trying to withstand the weight of the heavy head pulling forward. This pressure increases substantially the further forward the head goes.
In the drawing below the dog on the right is in a typical text neck posture with his head bent down, the neck stretched forward and the upper back rounded. His ears are very far in front of his shoulders instead of being directly over them. If this position is maintained for even short periods of time on a regular basis it will lead to neck and shoulder pain, upper back pain, breathing issues as the lungs are compressed and eventually because everything in the body is connected lower back and hip problems.
The solution: take a look at the dog on the left, he is holding the phone up at eye level with a straight upper back and neck, and ears positioned directly above the shoulders. This is the posture we should try to imitate whilst texting to take pressure off the neck and cervical spine. It is important to be aware of your posture when using mobile devices so that if you find yourself slumping forward take a break stretch and move about to relax the neck and shoulder muscles.
For anybody suffering from painful or stiff neck and shoulders a Systematic Kinesiology treatment will help to rebalance these muscles and make is easier to maintain good posture.