Read correctly to save your neck
Use correct posture to save yourself from vulture neck and a lot of neck pain.
An epidemic of neck pain
With the popularity of mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, there is a large upswing in cases of upper back and neck pain and the infamous Text Neck. Why is poor posture causing aches and pains? The January 2004 issue of the American Journal of Pain Management reported on the relationship of poor posture and chronic pain conditions including low back pain, neck related headaches, and stress-related illnesses. “The extra pressure imposed on the neck from poor posture flattens the normal cervical curve resulting in abnormal strain on muscles, ligaments, fascia and bones.”
Posture is everything
The average human head weighs around 11 pounds and is balanced on just 7 vertebrae and supported by around 20 muscles that are responsible for moving your head around and keeping that weight in place. However, when the neck is bent forward, the weight on the cervical spine can be as much as 60 pounds, depending on the degree at which the neck is tilted. In fact, when our necks are at just a 15-degree angle, the weight on the cervical spine more than doubles to 27 pounds. On average, we spend about 2 – 4 hours on our smartphones each day, and young people may spend even more time than that. That is a lot of time for our necks to support all that extra weight.
Follow these steps to save your neck while reading
Hold the phone at eye level. If your phone is at eye level when you are texting or reading your emails, you will be less likely to slouch to see the screen.
Move your eyes, not your whole head. if you cannot hold the phone at eye level, that does not mean you are forced to bend your neck to keep your head in the correct position. Look down with your eyes.
Stretch your neck. Turn your head from left to right, side to side and up and down. Do this often during the day.
Squeeze the shoulder blades together. Shoulder squeezes are a great move for improving posture. The Hands-Free Middle-Back Strengthener tones, tightens and strengthens those muscles between your shoulder blades easing back and neck pain and improving posture.
I hope this helps with your vulture neck.
Enjoy!
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