Yes it is a thing!

Due to the ongoing advances in technology more and more of us spend perhaps longer than we should scrolling social media, reading the news, playing games, working, emails, texts on our mobile phones or tablets and this can lead to a repetitive stress injury to the neck and shoulder muscles.

By having our head in a forward position for extended lengths of time we are finding more people’s posture is being affected and curvature of the cervical spine (the top 7 vertebrae) is causing neck and shoulder muscles and supporting ligaments to be misaligned.

If these muscles are misaligned the weight of our head is unevenly distributed down through the rest of out body and we are seeing symptoms such as (not an exhaustive list):-

• Pain in the neck and shoulders
• Stiffness – leading to reduced range of motion
• Headaches
• Eye Pain
• Tingling and numbness in upper limbs and into hands

Imagine this –  an average human head weighs approximately 5kgs – a new born baby in the UK weighs between 2.5kg and 4kg. This weight is being supported by those 7 cervical vertebrae in the neck and upper spine area.

According to a study done recently, by tilting the head forward 45 degrees – the relative weight increases to 22kgs – that is a massive weight difference and a lot of pressure on those vertebrae and muscles.

What happens next!

The human body is an amazing piece of kit and has evolved over quite few years to be quite symmetrical, yes we are all slightly different but if we were invaded by aliens they would pretty much see almost identical creatures. Evolution has lead to us being upright creatures for many reasons, eyes looking forward, erect standing which would suggest has lead us to be the dominant (if perhaps a little selfish) force on the earth.

However, with modern technology and ways of working, who is to say that evolution might change the way the human frame develops in the millennia to come.

But that is not going to affect us currently walking this planet, for now we need to look after ourselves and the changes in our posture, the imbalance of the weight of our head is leading to the symptoms already mentioned and a lot more besides.

If that 5kg or even 22kg is slightly off line, can you just imagine that uneven weight distribution down the spine, into the hips, down into the knee and ankle joints. The muscles and fascia will be compensating, changing lengths trying to keep us in balance, which then leads to other compensations which leads to other symptoms. 

I see myself as a relatively fit individual but if I spend too long typing blogs, I ache when I stand up and when I next go for a run it takes ages to shake all of those aches out of my body.

I am pretty sure a lot of us can relate to this whether it is going for a run, getting out of bed in the morning, walking the dog or any daily activities.

So…how can we correct or prevent this imbalance?

• Take regular breaks from the devices
• Set reminders to move position – whether it is go and put the kettle on or walk around for a few minutes
• Hold your device up at eye level or raise the table or PC up
• Consciously sit up straight
• Do some regular stretching exercises (The stretch of the month in the newsletter is one that is recommended) such as
  • Pectoralis stretch
  • Scapular retraction (Shoulder blades)
  • Chin tucks.
• Regular sports and deep tissue massages will help ease the symptoms and restore some of the imbalances but won’t prevent recurrence if you return to the same habits.
• Foam Rolling (if done correctly, take advice off a professional as rolling the spine can cause issues if not done properly).
• Posture Correctors – you can buy these online but personally I think this is just hiding the problem rather than correcting and addressing the long term.

Please get in touch if you want to discuss any of the above, I will be happy to talk through the options.

Thanks for reading.

Paul

Ps. this is written based on my understanding and opinions and information I have researched on the internet through different sources and you should seek the advice of a medical professional if unsure of anything to do with your personal health.